I haven’t been a big fan of this author, often finding his characters a little *too* quirky, but this story of “family finding family” was heart-warming with likable characters whose newly developed relationships with their siblings were endearing. Finding their father (and you know it’s coming, so this isn’t a spoiler) was somewhat anticlimactic, but I had no quibbles with the way it all ended. The audio was very well narrated, and the voice of “Tom” was especially endearing. Click here for a Goodreads plot synopsis.

PERSONAL NOTE: This story hit me profoundly, and here’s why.

Some say this book has a weird and quirky premise, and while it may appear that way, such family events do happen. For example, by the time my birth mother met my father (and ran away with him, but that’s another sordid story), she had left four children by two men (I think; I’ll never know the entire story), so we were her third family. When I was about 9 years old, my brother and I came home from school to find that she was gone, with no explanation from our father. We were able to reestablish a relationship with her a year later, but we continued living with our father. And hey, guess what? Right after she died at age 80, we learned the reason she left was that she had had an “affair” baby, whom she gave up for adoption. But wait, there’s more! Years later, our half-sister found us and was pleased to find she had siblings.

So, while Wilson’s story may be quirky, funny, and unbelievable, I’m living proof that families can be pretty messy.