Alternating chapters of first-person narratives tell of two siblings coping with the fact that their father shot their mother. The mother was a brilliant artist and the father a psychology professor at a New England college. The children gradually learn the truth about their parents and their relationship. Their father, we discover, accused his wife of his own misdeeds. The son discovers a journal written by his mother but doesn't reveal its contents until a shocking courtroom scene---I would have written the book differently. And there is yet another shocking revelation at the very end of the book meant to explain the father's actions (and reminiscent of Hitchcock's Spellbound).
The author's note at the end explains a little about the process of writing and how, even though he is Shomer Shabbat, he felt compelled to write one Saturday afternoon---having taken to heart the story of Coleridge and "Kubla Khan."

What a well written book. I received this book from Linda (Whisper1) and read it immediately! While I didn't like the title, I couldn't think of a better one. Anyway, it's always the story that counts and how quickly it draws you in and keeps you reading until finished. This book certainly did all that. The chapters go between Jenna and Jeremy, the brother and sister, as they go through the most awful time anyone could go through. While they knew that their parents marriage was in trouble, the last thing they or anyone else expected was for their father to shoot their mother outside a little café in the middle of their small town. Their narrative takes us through the process of a family in crisis and the consequent breakdown. ( )

Well developed characters and excellent writing render this a solid four 1/2 star read. While the title sounds stark, the way in which the story unfolded was not over dramatic, but rather was an insightful portrait of a family in grief, trying very hard to reach out to each other through the pain.

Told in differing perspectives of the children of the father, both Jeremy, age ten, and his teen aged sister Jenna, as they sort through thoughts and feelings as information becomes available regarding this tragic event.

Knowing their parents were not getting along, still no one could prepare them for the shock of the shooting of their beloved mother, a well-known artist by their father, a professional psychologist.

Jeremy was closer to his mother, and Jenna was experiencing normal teen aged emotions with talking back episodes with her mother.

As the story unfolds, we learn that the father intentionally manipulated his daughter against her mother, and all was not as it seemed in the household.

Well written, insightful and excellent portrayal of a tragic event which left those behind scrabbling for the meaning and facts of it all. I recommend this book. ( )

Much darker than I expected, yet in some ways, more simplistic. The characters were strong and the story kept me guessing. ( )

Narrated by Jeff Woodman and Carine Montbertrand. When Jenna and Jeremy's dad shoots and kills their mom, their lives are profoundly affected beyond just the loss of their mother. As their father sits in jail awaiting trial, Jenna, who was their dad's favorite, and Jeremy, who was their mother's, find themselves at odds and unable to agree on anything. Pieces of the puzzle that was their parents' relationship reveal themselves through Rachel's diary that Jeremy finds in her studio, and conversations that Jenna has with Karen, Rachel's best friend. At the trial all is revealed when Jeremy accuses his father of lying and brings out his mother's diary. A deeper story belies the sensational title. Descriptions of emotional issues and differing perspectives make for a solid treatment of a tragic situation. Lib note: Adult themes