Real Life & Liars

The Zielinskis, the dysfunctional family of Riggle’s delightful debut, have some problems, even if things at Mirabelle and Max’s 35th anniversary party—thrown by their three adult children—at first seem peachy. Soon, though, the cracks appear: daughter Katya’s stuck in a loveless marriage and saddled with three bratty kids. Son Ivan’s a struggling songwriter who falls for all the wrong girls, and the youngest daughter, Irina, is a free-spirited 21-year-old, knocked up by a man twice her age. There’s just no more room in their lives for another problem, but Mirabelle has a secret—she’s dying of breast cancer. With ease and grace, Riggle walks the fine line between sentimentality and comedy, and she has a sure hand in creating fun, quirky characters. Humorous and humane storytelling makes this much better than the standard cancer tear-jerker. (June)