It's July 1929. Sadie lounges, enjoying a serene morning in her own
home --- until her brother Irving arrives with the news that their
sister has disappeared. The missing sister, Goldie, was the oldest
sibling who ran the household after the death of their mother and
also worked at the library. She always had been so reliable.

No one can explain why or how Goldie vanished. Yet the family
members living at home hesitate when Sadie questions them about her
last days there. One of the sisters, Jo, doesn't tell Sadie her own
viewpoint concerning Goldie's disappearance. Goldie had been
wandering and dreamy. In Jo's opinion, a man was surely involved.
She can't quite decide how to feel about her sister's absence: is
fear the appropriate emotion? Jo longs for her mother, who would
have known the proper frame of mind for the family mystery.

Their father has taken up with a woman of whom no one (except
Irving) approves. The father's reaction to Goldie's absence
horrifies the remaining family members. He insists on sitting
shivah for her, although it is a declaration of her death, which
has never been proven. According to Sadie, "You can't erase a
person, though her father in his rage will try." When the time
comes, the sisters excuse themselves from the ceremony. Instead of
donating Goldie's clothing to charity, the women hide them in the
attic.

The plot follows the family from 1929 to 1950, with flashbacks
lending back-story. One by one, the family members' stories are
told, back and forth, braiding them together into intricate
patterns of personalities and relationships. Sadie has the affluent
life she has always wanted, with two daughters and an attentive
husband. Yet she wonders what she's missing. Jo falls in love with
a female co-worker, and into heartbreak. Irving, the sisters' only
brother, has a huge secret he guards from his sisters and father.
Meanwhile, Irving continues to pilfer from his family in order to
gamble until he heads off to war. The atrocities he views affect
Irving strongly, yet he returns to his old ways when he comes home
from the war. And sister Celia is as odd as she always has been ---
following handsome strangers, making scenes in public places, and
refusing to bathe. We also learn the bittersweet story of their
father's lover, Lillian, who is an integral character in the
story.

Debut novelist Nancy Reisman paints gorgeously haunting
descriptions: a man's overcoat is "like an unbuttoned pelt"; a
father has gone to work during a family tragedy "leaving a pale
gray blur in his place." The characters and their stories are
subtle and real. Just as in real life, there are no stereotyped
personalities and no overly neat conclusions. The story draws
readers in until they feel absorbed into the Cohen family. This
engrossing and satisfying novel is the perfect companion for a
rainy afternoon in front of the fire while sipping tea.