What to Read: Book Reviews From Real Simple Readers

In Between Days, by Andrew Porter

Reviewer: Yael Zoldan; age 37; married with five kids; Passaic, New Jersey.

Yael’s assessment: I was shaken by this cautionary tale of what can happen when a family’s secrets become larger than the love they share. The novel centers on Elson Harding and his ex-wife, Cadence, as they face their failures as parents and partners when their daughter is expelled from college. It raises many questions: When do children and parents become equals? How far does loyalty go? Can a failed marriage be revived? I wished I could help the characters as they flailed in the darkness, sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand of alienation.

To buy: $25, amazon.com.