This book shows the convergence of two young women, who both had unplanned pregnancies. Each made a decision about that pregnancy that would forever affect them. Hegland demonstrates flawless prose and character development in this haunting novel. Both Cerise and Anna are people the reader comes to know very well. It ended in the only way it could, and is a poignant reminder that we all live with the choices we make.
Young and pregnant, Cerise and Anna make very different decisions about how to direct their lives. While teenaged Cerise struggles to suppport herself and her young daughter, Anna finishes college, marries, and later gives birth to two daughters of her own. After the birth of her second child, a tragic accident tears Cerise's life apart, and she loses her already tenuous position in society. As the story progresses - and Cerise's and Anna's lives interweave and inexorably approach each other - both women are dramatically, forever changed.
