From Publishers Weekly Saiter's first novel is a grim portrait of a massively dysfunctional family painted by unlucky daughter Crosby Rawson. The double perspective of Crosby's current experiences of family life and recollections of earlier times magnifies the impact of parents who can't decide whether to stay married and of the tribulations of brother Ben， whose mind veers toward chaos at a precociously young age. The father's ambition propels all four Rawsons across America in move after move， upheavals that strain the marriage and force the children to fend for themselves as perennial newcomers. Never in one place long enough to form lasting friendships， Ben and Crosby soon come to view each other as permanent friends. Yet Ben's growing abnormality forces Crosby to cut him off in order to protect her own balance， a decision that provokes guilt when the adult Crosby hears from a New York shelter that Ben， now clearly over the edge， is missing from his usual haunts. Saiter walks a thin line in characterizing the initially endearing Crosby; her survival requires that she learn to take what she needs and push away anyone who threatens what she has attained. Ben is both a charmer and an inexplicably deadly menace， rendering this novel an intense and compelling experience. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal This affecting first novel recounts in flashbacks the story of Crosby Rawson and her peripatetic midwestern family as they move their way up the social and economic ladder. Dad keeps getting fired so they move constantly， never putting down roots; mom chain-smokes， wears "Cherries in the Snow" lipstick， and laments her inability to decorate properly; brother Ben is smart but troubled; Crosby just wants to be "normal." The story opens in 1989 with an adult Crosby， successful despite her odd family and upbringing， embarking on an odyssey to find her seemingly missing and homeless brother. In so doing， she revisits her past， her feelings about her family， and her life--and discovers her true priorities. This is no Cleaver family; it's more David Lynch， but it's a refreshing view of the cliched midwestern family of the 1950s. Its depiction of the homeless as somebody's brother also goes a long way toward humanizing this often faceless and tragic population. Recommended.- Rosellen Brewer， Monterey Cty. Free Libs.， Seaside， Cal.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information， Inc.