Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson

Heather and Jace Curridge are living high on the hog. He is a successful cardiac surgeon and she, with one child fifteen-year-old Will, spends a lot of time on meaningless committees and baking cakes for meaningless meetings. Jace has a secret and Heather knows what it is, but he isn't aware and is not talking to her about it. Will is not the most popular kid on the block but he does have friends and is showing an interest in doing something more meaningful with his life other than being popular. Eating her way through cakes, Heather has a distasteful childhood memory that is punching all her guilt buttons, and wants to do something about. When she has an accident that covers her with cake, breaks a few ribs and gives her some bruises, elderly, Quaker sisters Anna and Liza step in offering her a place to stay while she recuperates. She has also become acquainted with Sister Jerusha who administrates The Hotel, a half-way house for recovering addicts, abused women, pregnant teenagers, and vagrants. This is a somewhat tedious story (the first part anyway) that has some great insights if you can get to Part Two and get to the meat of the tale. A good read. Sandy Penton