Daphne and her sister Lela are in their early fifties and live in New York City. They are both happy in their careers, successful, and married to loving husbands. Their mother, Abigail was married to their father, Buddy, when they had the two girls. Buddy was a fisherman, in love with the ocean, his live, and his daughters. But it was not enough for his wife. She divorced him when they were little girls. Along came her second husband, Eddie, who bounded into the family and was the best stepfather the girls could have dreamed of. Due to unexpected circumstances, Abigail threw out Eddie after less than two years. Daphne was nine years old, Lela seven, and they were devastated. They never saw Eddie again. Children are resilient, and they eventually forgot him. Their mother married a third time. His name was Lucas. They had two more boys. While they were a happy family, Lucas was never a father figure to the girls but they accepted him as their dad.

When Daphne and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, they have a chance meeting with Eddie. That fateful encounter catapults Daphne back to her childhood. She end Eddie decide they will not be separated again and the event does not only change both their current lives, but it unearths forgotten memories and family secrets.

The title of the book is Whistler, which is the name of a horse, but surprisingly, Whistler does not have much to do with the plot. It’s a story about modern American life, the balance of career and family, homosexuality, health, cancer and the fragility of life, and finally death.

It’s a sad story, yet uplifting in its own way, and I can see how it would make a great book club selection.

The audiobook I listened to was narrated by the author herself, which gave it emotional depth I might not have felt if I had just read the story.