At 18, Ginny Beale loved her life: fiercely loyal friends, a budding first love, endless shimmering possibility. But that was before the fire that killed her best friend's father and left Ginny terrified that someone she loved was responsible. In her sixth novel for adults, I'd Give Anything, Marisa de los Santos, with her signature warmth and wisdom, explores the ripple effects of that night on Ginny's life.
Ginny's story begins with her teenage journal entries: earnest, hopeful, as effervescent as the champagne her brother Trevor steals from their mother's liquor cabinet. The narrative shifts between Ginny's high school years and her present reality, where she's reeling from a workplace scandal that got her husband fired and ended their marriage. Mornings at the dog park and straight-talking advice from her best friend Kirsten pull Ginny back from the edge of despair. But when Ginny's daughter, Avery, finds out about the fire and begins pressing her mother for answers, Ginny must confront what she has believed--and assumed--all these years.
De los Santos (I'll Be Your Blue Sky) draws her characters with compassion and clarity: Ginny may be a little lost, but she digs deep to find the gumption she thought she lost long ago. Avery is a sensitive, anxious child, but she's relentless in her pursuit of the truth--not for revenge, but for freedom. The answers aren't all neat and tidy, and the reconciliations aren't instant. But this story, in true de los Santos fashion, is full of hope and people who are willing to try. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams