Henry's Sisters, Cathy Lamb

Can I please give this book an extra star? You know how rare it is to read something that hits a home run. This book is one of those times for me, and I cannot sing enough praise for Cathy Lamb and Henry's Sisters. I cried, real tears down my cheeks, not just moisture collecting in the corners while reading this. I laughed out loud, not a huck or a chuckle, but a belly-jiggling laugh. And I smiled - wow, I smiled a lot while reading this book.

Henry is a special needs person and the youngest of the Bommarito children. The sisters are Isabelle, whose voice we hear, a famous photographer and professional one-night stander; Cecilia, Iz's twin who is wholly angry, mean, has an over-eating problem, is a superb kindergarten teacher, and is in the middle of a divorce; and Janie, an OCD best-selling crime novelist who invents twisted ways to kill her characters while she herself cannot leave her houseboat from fear of the world, and the people in it.

The cast is rounded out by River, the stripper mom, Amelia Earhart (grandma has dementia), and Carl, the long-lost Dad who shows up thirty years later. The family is ripe for disaster, with sharp wit and lots of heartaches as they navigate who they are and how they came to be. Cecilia's daughters add more color and drama as if either is missing from the plot.

When Momma needs surgery, the girls come together to take care of the family and revisit their past to move forward with their lives. The dialogue is raw and painful, authentic to any dysfunctional family. The characters scream at each other, call all the right names to hit every sore spot that only family knows, and are loyal to a fault when push comes to shove. While the girls grapple with how awful their upbringing was, and it was horrible, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, yet, so real and believable, Henry thrives being a dog walker for the shelter, helper at Wednesday and Sunday mass with Father Mike, Bunko set up master for the senior citizens, and sample giver at his family's bakery. Henry knows everyone, the goofy teenagers at church, the scary "knife-face" man in the leather vest, the mayor, the dogs at the shelter, the kids on the corner. And to all, he throws out a heartfelt, "Jesus loves you."

When Henry takes ill, the family learns what family means - and this is when your reader's heart will break.

I am officially listing this book, Henry's Sisters, as one of my all-time favorite reads.