The role of step-parent must be a very difficult one, especially early in a new marriage, and particularly for a sensitive person.

Thayer s empathetic novel is about a woman who loves her husband very much and wants to include her new step daughters in that love.

"I think we were all stunned that first week," Thayer writes, "I certainly was. Immediately after we arrived home, Caroline fished a thick sealed envelope out of her suitcase and handed it to me, carefully, so that her fingers did not touch mine.

This is for you, she said, not looking me in the eyes. It s from my mother.

What in the world, I said, and stared down at the envelope as if it were a toad. What Adelaide might want to send me was frighteningly beyond the reach of my imagination.

It s a list of foods we like to eat, Caroline said."

It s not world-shaking fiction, which is probably why Thayer is not a major writer. But it is timely, warm and thoughtful. It is also a good story with characters the reader enjoys. Although step-parents and step-children may gain some insights through this book, it s still entertaining reading for those not involved in a similar situation.