Lowest price ever on this novel that was a little dark for my taste, but many MMD readers loved it. Maybe you’ll be one of them? Publishers Weekly calls this “[an] outstanding debut . . . Whitaker skillfully charts the creative process, its lulls and sudden rushes of perfect inspiration. And in the relationship between Mel and Sharon, she has created something wonderful and exceptional: a rich, deep, and emotionally true connection that will certainly steal the hearts of readers.”

My understanding of this sweeping family saga and 2026 Summer Reading Guide selection shifted when I realized the title captures not just the workings of the family business but the relationships in that family. In 1979 matriarch Fran feels the first whispers of a crush for her female employee at her Baker-Taylor chain store. Subsequently, all hell breaks loose—but in slow motion. This is a novel about people first discovering and then wrestling with the constraints of their lives, and deciding how far they’re willing to go to break free. Whitaker examines money and class, insiders and outsiders, and the claustrophobia of a small town where everybody knows your business and you’ll be punished for stepping out of line. This is a slow burn but I raced through it—except when I paused to google real places, people, and events from Lexington history.