This is a sincere, real, and moving portrait of friendship between women. I identified with a little something in each of the characters, and ended up caring a great deal about what happened to them. Gaffney's writing style is straightforward and simple, which allows the characters' emotions to shine. Gaffney does a masterful job of weaving humor, love, and tragedy into a cohesive plot, which is pretty amazing, given the fact that the characters take turns telling the story of their lives and the events that unfold. Indeed, this structure allows the story to be more subtle, revealing the dynamics of the friendship.