A coming-of-age story about the youngest of four sisters in an unusual family with challenging dynamics. It's a fast read, and I enjoyed the writing style, nothing too fancy but clean and readable prose. Denise's childhood from age 9-15 is punctuated by radically upsetting and/or violent incidents that somehow don't disturb her silent need to please her driven and demanding mother, but do cause seismic changes in her relationships with her sisters, each of whom responds very differently to their intense upbringing. I wanted a little more from the ending but would still recommend it, with cautions that it contains some tough topics - sexual abuse of a very young teen as well as suicide and violent assault.

The four Cross sisters grow up in a most unconventional place, a state mental hospital in NC, with their mother as the chief psychiatrist. The novel is set 30 years ago into the early 2000’s and chronicles the mental health system as well. When an incident happens at the facility, the girls are pushed to support their mother who along with the facility faces intense scrutiny.. Told from the perspective of the youngest daughter, the book explores the bonds of family, secrets and mental health. Recommended for all public libraries