Grace and Baby — Peggy Leon

Life is full of beautiful creations. Some are the products of nature, some are manmade -- and others appear to be happy accidents.

In Grace and Baby, a cast of compelling characters is about to come together in unexpected ways, and incredible things could happen as a consequence of their collisions. But if those things are to happen, they each must confront the challenges and confusion that confounds them, and they all must come to terms with themselves and the fact that every one of us, even if a little “broken” in some way, is important.

Grace is dying of cancer. Her older sister, Baby, is severely developmentally disabled and an artistic savant. Their wayward niece, Lily, is a recovering heroin addict and single, struggling mother to young Walter, who's terrified by the world around him. Swept up into the same big heap, can these broken pieces come together? Will they bond with each other and create something whole? Or, yet again, will they crumble?

A touching meditation on life, death, and human legacy, Grace and Baby is a one-of-a-kind novel filled with delicate surprises. Told with both heartbreak and humor, it's sure to touch your heart and keep a hold of you for a very long time.