βI left my wedding dress hanging in a tree somewhere in North Dakota. I donβt know why that particular tree appealed to me. Perhaps it was because it looked as if it had given up and died years ago and was still standing because it didnβt know what else to doβ¦β In her deliciously funny, heartfelt, and moving debut, Cathy Lamb introduces some of the most wonderfully eccentric women since The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and The Secret Life of Bees, as she explores the many ways we find the road home.
There, among uppity chickens and toilet bowl planters, Julia is welcomed by an eccentric, warm, and often wise clan of women, including a psychic, a ministerβs unhappy wife, an abused mother of four, and Aunt Lydia herselfβa woman who is as fierce and independent as they come. Meeting once a week for drinks and the baring of souls, it becomes clear that every woman holds secrets that keep her from happiness. But what will it take for them to brave becoming their true selves? For Julia, itβs chocolate. All her life, baking has been her therapy and her refuge, a way to heal wounds and make friends. Nobody anywhere makes chocolates as good as Juliaβs, and now, chocolate just might change her lifeβand bring her love when she least expects it. But it canβt keep her safe. As Julia gradually opens her heart to new life, new friendships, and a new man, the past is catching up to her. And this time, she will not be able to run but will have to face it head on.
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