Anomaly — Anne Fleming

Set in Toronto in the 1970s, this moving, evocative novel centers on four voices: those of sisters Glynnis and Carol, whose childhood traumas leave them ill-prepared for adulthood; that of their conflicted mother, Mrs. Riggs; and that of elderly neighbor Miss Balls, who lives in her memories of being a young nurse during World War II. Anomaly masterfully explores sisterhood and the loss of innocence  -- in particular, how two "anomalous" girls navigate a chaotic relationship and, more generally, how a society's dizzying changes affect four women from three generations.