Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe

An award-winning high school science teacher who juggles marriage, motherhood and massive traditional Italian meals, Mira Serafino is called Miss Control Freak by her best friend Lannie, an eccentric musician who owns a yarn and guitar shop in their close-knit community of Pacifica, Ore. Shortridge (Eating Heaven ) flashes back to Mira's difficult childhood (where she adopted the role of “Saint Mira, absorber of all family pain”) as her marriage hits a major snag, sending Mira into a process of self-examination. Mira's Type A–ness comes through clearly, and secondaries—including a difficult daughter, incommunicado brother and a father who is “about as sensitive as a Mack truck”—deepen her dilemmas. (May)