When Your Mother Doesn't

A Novel

“The unforgettable story of two sisters navigating their way through loss and grief in search of love, and what it means to be a family. A very fine novel” (Carla Buckley, author of The Liar’s Child).

Lola Ashby raised two daughters—albeit reluctantly—before abandoning them when they were in high school. Now an adult woman, Frankie has agreed to drive from Portland to visit the ailing Lola, and she asks her younger sister, Callie, to meet up with her in the Idaho panhandle. With luck, the presence of both of them will dilute the difficulty of this family reunion with their indifferent mother.

However, during Frankie’s first night on the road, the trip gets more complicated when a well-dressed elderly woman at a rest stop dumps a young boy in her lap. Meanwhile, Callie’s journey is fraught with its own violent difficulties. As Lola awaits their arrival, threats of the past and the present loom over them all.

“A heart wrenching and poignant story about mothers and daughters and the secrets they keep. With a plot that twists and turns, Kelly masterfully weaves a compelling narrative which explores how abandonment and sacrifice play out against a backdrop of adversity. Told through multiple perspectives, the novel addresses the complex ways in which women are forced to protect themselves and their daughters. An interesting and provocative read that will have you guessing until the very end.” —Tamar Ossowski, author of Left