Short Synopsis
Martha Moody's first novel examines the dynamics of friendship between two very different women. Meeting as college roommates, the girls are surprised to learn that, despite their many differences, the two form a bond that will last a lifetime.

Full Synopsis
Before arriving at Oberlin in 1973, Clare Mann had never met anyone like Sally Rose. Rich and beautiful, Sally is utterly foreign to a middle-class, Midwestern Protestant like Clare—and utterly fascinating. The fascination only grows when Sally brings her home to L.A. Mr. Rose—charismatic, charming, and the owner of a profitable business shrouded in secrecy—is nearly as compelling a figure to Clare as he is to his own daughter. California seems like paradise after winters in Ohio. And Clare begins to look forward desperately to these visits, to carefree rides in Sally's Kharmann Ghia and lazy poolside days.

As the years pass, Clare becomes a doctor and Sally a lawyer, always remaining roommates at heart, only a plane ride or phone call away. Marriages and divorces and births and deaths do not separate them. But secrets might—for as Clare watches, the Rose family begins to self-destruct before her eyes. And the things she knows are the kinds of things that no one wants to tell a best friend.

"[Moody] captures the feel of things, the complexity of human lives, and the ability of time to expose and to heal." ---Josephine Humphreys, author of Nowhere Else on Earth

"Moody is brilliant at exposing just how emotionally and morally complex a friendship can be." ---Diane Vreuls, author of Are We There Yet?

"Freshly observed and gifted.... The book never loses its edge...nor its moving conviction that a strong friendship between women can be one of life's most powerful relationships." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"A valentine to the staying power of women's friendships." ---Cleveland Plain Dealer

"One gets the sense that Raudman understands Moody's original text so firmly that only she could possibly have read it, thus creating a memorable experience for the listener." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

Publishers Weekly Review