A deceptively quiet story of suburban lives and second chances, this book follows Harry and Louisa, who are both in their second marriage. Each harbors failure and pain from the first; it seems that stasis is safest. Each gets by on the minutiae, rather than facing up to the shadows of violence, loss, and failure that still haunt them; a life half-lived is a life undisturbed. Celebrating the beauty of the ordinary, this novel asserts that hope and love can heal pain.