The story begins with the news that Paula Spencer’s husband has died. She is struggling to maintain dignity while battling an addiction to alcohol and come to terms with the death of her abusive husband. Her bitterness over her “body’s betrayal” as a child is gripping. These troubled teen years shape the relationship with her children and her lack of self worth. Doyle’s choice of writing in both the past and present, as well as the simple sentence structure brings the reader to a better understanding of Paula, who as a child believed that life held endless potential now feels as though she has lost everything.