Never Coming Back

In this poignant meditiation on the relationship between a mother and daughter from McGhee (Shadow Baby), Clara Winter is 31 when she first notices that her almost-50-year-old mother, Tamar, seems to be more forgetful than usual. After learning that her mother has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, Clara moves from her home in Florida back to the Adirondacks where she grew up. Clara’s fear of facing her mother’s deteriorating health is coupled with her own concern that there is a 50-50 chance she has inherited the gene that causes early-onset Alzheimer’s. She also wants to find out why her mother so adamantly pushed her to attend college far away but fears that, due to her mother’s condition, she may never find out. Though this well-written story will appeal to a broad range of readers for its rich characterization, mothers and daughters will especially find Clara’s and Tamar’s story moving and memorable. (Oct.)