A brief description of the plot - Susie's miserable childhood with its abuse and aggression plus her attempts as an adult to reconcile with her father before he dies - may make this novel seem grim and heavy going. Yet, I was soon desperate to know what turned Tildy Baxter, Texan firebrand full of life and promise, into the mean drunk and terrible mother she became. It is absorbing and full of great zest for life, with a remarkably upbeat ending.
