3/5 stars

What's it about? The erratic and brilliant Cassandra Edwards abandons her thesis at Berkeley to sabotage her twin sister’s surprise wedding, but Cassie’s unhappiness soon overpowers the homecoming. A coming-of-age novel about self-acceptance and family.

How’d I find it? I can’t miss the opportunity to stock up when New York Review Books has a sale.

Who will enjoy this book? Baker renders in minute detail the family ranch, the detached father with a glass of brandy glued to his hand, and the prim grandmother who just wants a proper wedding. Her insular domestic world recalls Anne Tyler.

What stood out? The book is broken into three parts, a middle section from sister Judith’s perspective sandwiched between two excursions through Cassie’s glorious mind. Cassie is an annihilating force, unable to admit her own desires and move forward in life. I enjoyed wallowing in her delusion, improved as they are by the character’s wit and curiosity.

Which line made me feel something? The twins drink far too much their first night back together: “Morning’s a side effect. I can’t acknowledge it until it scalds my eyeballs.”