ANY OTHER FAMILY

Who makes up a family, and what does being a family even mean?

These are the questions that propel much of humankind, particularly three unique sets of parents who have adopted four young biological siblings. On a summer vacation in Aspen, this extended family convenes to bond and give their hyperorganized leader, Tabitha (perfectionist mom to twins Tate and Taylor), a chance to spend time with the other mothers, who are something like the sisters she never had. There’s Ginger, adoptive mother to Phoebe, the eldest sibling, and Elizabeth, who’s recently adopted the baby of the family, Violet. It’s an unusual combination of people and personalities that seemingly works, until Brianna, the birth mom of all four siblings, calls to announce that she’s pregnant again, thanks to a quick visit from the children’s absent biological father. And she’d like Elizabeth and her husband, John, to adopt the newborn come the December due date. Only Elizabeth is overwhelmed with new motherhood and the prolonged grief of infertility and miscarriage. John has lost his job, and Tabitha and her husband, Perry, feel too old to adopt a baby. Ginger, Phoebe’s single parent, is also happy with her status, especially with the upcoming uncertainty of middle school looming. Thus, the family members must sort out dynamics and relationships to each other, figuring out which new parents they want to add to their unconventional cluster and which of many, many potential adopters they will leave childless. Told from the alternating perspectives of the three adoptive mothers and interspersed with written adoption applications from eager parents-to-be, the novel moves thoughtfully, precisely, and sometimes humorously through the psyches of the parents, pushing the readers into the quick-paced, perfectly detailed story while never forgetting the looming questions of family and belonging.

A prismatic story of family, adoption, and how the people we choose to keep close shape who we are.