R. M. Doyon has written a novel that puts you right in the middle of a very dysfunctional family and yet you come to understand and like them. I could not put it down and was disappointed when I came to the end.

The book introduces us to Jane, the press secretary for the governor of New York who is about ready to start his bid for the US presidency. You know something is going on and that she has gotten bad news though you do not find out to much later what it is. She decides to leave her apartment in New York City to go upcountry, back home to be with her family rather than her boyfriend over Thanksgiving. You are not sure why because her family upbringing was not a good one and yet she is compelled to go back home.

Jane has a twin sister, Joanne who is married to a man who owns a septic system cleaning company and he is just as foul as the material he works with each day. Just hearing them over Thanksgiving dinner you to see more and more of this family’s issues and why Jane had decided to leave her home many years ago.

After dinner, things take a drastic turn and soon Jane and Joanne are on the run, going further upstate.

Throughout their run from the law, you discover more and more about these two sisters and why they have ended up the way they are. You are pulling for them though you know they are in big trouble.

Doyon does a good job of enfolding this family for you and as you discover their secrets, you understand more and more why they are the way they are. Yet, there is hope throughout as you see Jane and Joanne deal with their past and are honest with each other and themselves for the first time. Your heart aches for the sisters as you see them reliving the past and facing the future. You see the depth of sin and but you also see redemption, all unfolded in a very real, not over sentimental manner. This novel has it all: mystery, coming of age, humor and good writing. I look forward to reading more from Doyon.