In order to adequately express my opinions of this book, I'm going to need to reveal the entire plot. However, I don't think you ought to read it anyway, so this isn't a spoiler per se.

There are two sisters, and the older one (Charlotte) is killed in an accident. The younger one, Louise, leaves boyfriend and job behind and moves into Charlotte's house to care for Charlotte's two children. So far, I'm with the plot: I'm enjoying reflecting upon the cards that life deals us; I'm pondering the ways in which life can change unexpectedly; I'm wondering if I would do the same thing for a sister.

Then, toward the end of the book, Louise goes on a date with a male friend who's been supportive during this time. He's the Nice Guy, nerdy and good with kids, so we know she can't love him. He asks her to marry him. She turns him down. He SOCKS HER IN THE FACE and kicks her out into the cold. She gets a ride home and wanders through her sister's house, thinking over her plans. She realizes that the guy who nearly broke her nose is lurking outside. She tries to sneak out of the house; he spots her and chases her. The book ENDS with her running down the road with him right behind her.

Are you grasping this? Two hundred pages of reflecting upon the cards that life, etc., followed by six pages of Terminator. What HAPPENED here? Other than the weird freak ending, I would have wholeheartedly recommended the book, that's what's so lame. How about this: read 200 pages and then invent your own ending. Here's what I imagine: Louise doesn't end up with Richard (the old boyfriend) OR Fred (the nice-guy-turned-psycho), but instead hires a wonderful and competent housekeeper to take her place in her sister's house and then moves back to her old apartment, where she discovers there's a new neighbor, a distracted professor type who's totally hot and wants to settle down and have babies. We fade out with the certainty that Louise has found happiness in her own life, and has managed to say good-bye to her sister in a healthy way. Okay? Geez, do I have to review AND write?