A few months ago, Ann Patchett raved about this book, calling it a huge bestseller. Well, she was right—it was a fabulous book—and while it made a brief appearance on the NYT bestseller list, it deserves to be more widely read.

Set in a small midwestern town, this story of two families who become entwined by various circumstances is a quiet tale of flawed people trying to overcome their mistakes — there were many. Starting after the close of WWII and continuing over the next 40 years, it was an absorbing story, though the last 1/4 was a little rushed.

This is an excellent book for readers of Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Strout, and Anne Tyler. Also perfect for novels about marriages, including Sue Miller’s Monogamy and Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety.

A bit of a trigger warning. This book has a couple of gut punches that required a few tissues. Since this is the fourth “weep-worthy” book I’ve read this past year (others were The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith, and Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall), I think I need to read happier books for a while.