Publisher, AudioGO / BBC Audiobooks (October 2011)

Listen to a FREE audio clip.

“A Pandora’s box–style tragicomedy . . . [Kaui Hart Hemmings’s] comic sense is finely honed in this refreshingly wry debut novel.” —The New York Times Book Review

“With beautiful and blunt prose, Hemmings explores the emotional terrain of grief, promising something far more fulfilling than paradise at its end.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A surprising and affecting novel, a story about death and infidelity that manages to be a finer, lighter story about life and love.” —Time Out New York

Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors who came to the islands were financially and culturally progressive--one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state's largest landowners. But now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control--10-year-old Scottie has a smart-ass attitude and a desperate need for attention and 17-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. His thrill-seeking and high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat racing accident, and will soon be taken off life support. The King family can hardly picture life without their charismatic mother, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them--and spurs them into surprising actions.

About the Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings is the author of the critically acclaimed short-story collection House of Thieves. Her writing has appeared in Zoetrope, Best American Voices 2006, and Best American Nonrequired Reading 2004. Hemmings grew up in Hawaii and lives with her husband and daughter in San Francisco.