A Family Affair

In Carr’s (The View from Alameda Island; “Virgin River” series) stand-alone novel, 57-year-old Anna McNichol’s husband dies suddenly while white water rafting, and the professional working mother (she’s a successful lawyer and judge) is struggling. His life was a continuous cycle of midlife crises (even though he was a professional counselor), and she was going to divorce him after that last trip. Now Anna is planning his funeral and finding out his secrets that have been hidden for years. Meanwhile her mother’s dementia is worsening, and her three grown children are floundering too as they deal with their father’s death. With the support of family friends, each other, and the occasional therapy session, Anna and her family grow stronger together, while growing in numbers, too. Thérèse Plummer’s seamless narration never distracts, and she handles the different tones of many characters expertly. She skillfully voices tension, tears, and stress, but also manages to build a steamy atmosphere during the occasional sex scene. The audio production is flawless.