It started as a joke-the three other women in Polly's New York City unbook club (they brought the book but made it a point not to read it) gave her an inexpensive genetic test for her birthday and she took it. Dismayed with the results, she wondered who her gay brother slipped up with, as he was the only logical pathway to her having a niece-but he insisted that never happened. When the niece contacted her they set up a meeting, a welcome respite from her constant quest to become pregnant by her wonderful and younger second husband. As she drove up to Vermont, she thought about the solution to this puzzle, which got more complicated when she saw that the young woman was a biracial teen.
Polly learns that Talia Burton's mom was adopted from Ghana and Talia had always wondered about her mother's biological family-when Talia saw Polly it was obvious that she wasn't from that side, but she couldn't be from her father's side either, even though Polly and her dad looked vaguely alike. Obviously there were problems with that DNA test.
It was still a mystery that Polly needed to solve. She met with Talia's father, Stephen, who couldn't supply a link to Polly's family. When she asked about his parents he told her about his mother, who was very close with Talia, and owned a farm in the Catskills. When he mentioned the name of her farm, Polly couldn't believe it-Warm As Toast was the name of the most high-end alpaca sweaters in the country...certainly worth a look!
As Polly tries to cope with the complications and failures of infertility treatments, her battles with her perfect mother, and her father sinking into dementia, she becomes very involved in Talia's life. Even if they aren't related, she sees Talia as a special girl and wants to help her. As her life becomes more involved, she starts interweaving the various strands of her extended family and friends with each other in ways that benefit everyone, especially Sarah, Polly's book club bestie, who is losing her battle with cancer.
Quindlen has written another excellent novel about a conflicted woman. While it is, of course, a book that features families and female bonding, the introduction of a shaky DNA test brings in the possibility of a new unexpected element to her character's lives in a very subtle but logical manner. It's nice to have her back at the top of her game.
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