"An immediately gripping, expertly woven tale of pain and healing. Ledger is a brilliant writer." -Elin Hilderbrand

Sinon and Emily Bear look like a couple who have it all. Simon is a respected doctor; Emily shines as a public relations expert who spins away her corporate clients' mistakes. Yet as their 13-year-old daughter's troubled summer reveals, all is not perfect inside this home.

Simon has stumbled upon an obscure drug that may revolutionize the treatment of pain. In his excitement, he barely notices that Emily is seeking relief from the family's tragic past. And neither fully realizes how much danger their daughter is in. Soon, everything they have will be on the brink of collapse, and there will be no masking the symptoms or hiding the truth any more.

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2. Simon listens to his patients, makes himself accessible to them, and thinks up ways to make their health care more productive. He’s also will­ing to think “outside the box” when it comes to determining a treatment. Is Simon a good doctor?
3. Emily has grown up with an expectation that the world one lives in can be controlled. In what ways is she able to exert control? At what points does she experience the limits of her influence? How does she react when she’s confronted by her inability to control people and events?
4. Simon’s professional world is physically connected to his home. How does the architecture of the house relate to some of Simon’s internal con­flicts? How does the architecture of the hospital in Florida relate to medi­cine and to Simon’s situation?
5. Emily’s professional sphere is in another city. What does work mean to the Bears? How have they established and maintained their professional personas? How have they helped each other professionally over the years? How does their work affect their family life?
6. Simon and Emily have strained relationships with Jamie, but those two difficult relationships differ from each other. In what ways are those two relationships different?
7. What will it take for each of those relationships to improve?
8. Emily, Simon and Jamie are each grappling with the effects of a shared past tragedy. What are the remedies each seeks to handle the lingering, and sometimes unacknowledged, feelings of heartache? What works? What doesn’t?
9. How does each of them act when they can’t handle those feelings of heartache? In what ways do they act out? In what ways do they keep their feelings constrained?
10. Simon doesn’t mean to overstep his bounds with the nurse, Julie McKinley, and yet he does. What kinds of different feelings does Julie McKinley inspire in him? Why are those feelings at odds with each other? Why are those feelings out of step with the real world? What emotions and yearnings are connected to his sexuality?
11. When Simon decides to make wine, he has visions of a family project that will impress his wife and involve his daughter. Why does he choose wine? Why is this project doomed from the start? What does it say about Simon that he believes this project will be an antidote for the strife at home?

This book is on these lists:

• April 2012 Indie Next List
• March 2012 Indie Next List
• February 2012 Indie Next List