The Book of CarolSue — Lynne Hugo

Award-winning author Lynne Hugo returns with a life-affirming, poignant novel in the spirit of A Man Called Ove -- a story brimming with both wit and warmth about how a family gets on . . . and goes on.

CarolSue and her sister, Louisa, are best friends, but haven't had much in common since CarolSue married Charlie, moved to Atlanta, and swapped shoes covered with Indiana farm dust for pedicures and afternoon bridge. Louisa, meanwhile, loves her farm and animals as deeply as she'd loved Harold, her late husband of forty years.

Charlie's sudden death leaves CarolSue so adrift that she surrenders to Louisa's plan for her to move back home. But canning vegetables and feeding chickens are alien to CarolSue, and she resolves to return to Atlanta -- until Louisa's son, Reverend Gary, arrives with an abandoned infant and a dubious story. He begs the women to look after the baby while he locates the mother -- a young immigrant who fears deportation.

Keeping his own secrets, Gary enlists the aid of the sheriff, Gus, in the search. But CarolSue's bond with the baby is undeniable, and she forms an unconventional secret plan of her own. How many mistakes can be redeemed?