This book was given to me by a Bookcrossing friend, a surprise gift sent in the mail! (Thanks again, Captivated Reader!) It is an audiobook. I am not in the habit of listening to books; I usually prefer to hold and read them, but as it happened, husband and I made several long auto trips in the last month, and we both enjoyed listening to the book in the car.
We got caught up in the story: a retired mayor of Boston, Mass. has taken his two adult adopted sons to a lecture by Jesse Jackson. As they were leaving, his older son stepped off the curb into the path of a SUV. A stranger pushed him out of the way, and was herself seriously injured. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, leaving her 11 year old daughter alone on the street. The mayor and his sons persuade her come to their house. As it happens, the mayor's adopted sons are African-American, and so are the mother and daughter. As the story develops, long-hidden family secrets are slowly revealed and mysteries appear.
I never did quite understand older, natural born brother Sullivan's hidden past. Perhaps my thoughts wandered a little while that bit was explained, but I didn't want to listen to it all over again, just to find it. Otherwise, the story was quite enjoyable, but tied up a little too neatly and quickly at the end. Also, the bit about Tennessee's deceased friend mysteriously appearing in her hospital room seemed very strange, even surreal.
I did think that Peter Francis James did an excellent job narrating the story. His range of voices was spot on, from Boston Irish Catholic accents to Jamaican, Asian Indian, and perfect renditions of Jesse Jackson and of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (as heard on a radio in the story). Every one was distinct and well done, even the young girl, without resorting to the use of falsetto.
