Our New Normal

A mother ready to become an empty nester must delay her plans after her daughter becomes pregnant in this heartwarming tale from Faulkner (What Makes a Family). With Liv Ridgely’s son headed to college and her 16 year-old daughter, Hazel, entering her junior year of high school, Liv has begun planning for life after parenting and is ready to start a business restoring old houses. But when Hazel discovers she’s pregnant, Liv has to put her business plans on hold. After some tap-dancing around the idea of an abortion, Hazel insists that she is going to keep the baby. Liv, who was herself adopted, tries to bring her daughter around to the idea of adoption, but Hazel will hear nothing of it. Liv’s husband, Oscar, meanwhile, wants the two of them to adopt the baby. As Hazel gets closer to her due date but doesn’t do anything to prepare for the baby, both Liv and Oscar begin to question how they have been behaving. While the chapters narrated by Liv nicely capture her worry and the mania of navigating competing impulses, Hazel’s choppy, rushed voice is less convincing. Even so, fans of Elin Hilderbrand will be pleased by this intense family drama. (Sept.)