The Nearly Happy Family

London: Viking, 2008. large size paperback. Used. Claire Delaney is an obstreperous fifteen year old, and her mother, Jackie, is a bit of a flake. They both have a lot on their plates, trying to keep to keep the younger children in their family together after the tragic death of their father. They're driving each other crazy. Jackie can't keep off the booze, and has decided to remarry a younger man, much to Claire's disgust. While Jackie embarks on a new pathway, that includes reworking long-held principles as well as getting her stand-up comedy career back on track, Claire apprentices herself to Nino Milani, a volatile if somewhat chauvinistic chef, who teaches her the secrets of his kitchen. But Nino's impact on Claire begins to affect Jackie too, in ways that are both unexpected and confusing. Around the warmth of the kitchen table, they both discover that life - like all the best recipes - is both mysterious and mysteriously simple. This is a witty look at the difficulty of dealing with the past in order to take on the future, a story about the foibles of love, the triumphs and disasters, and about the compassion, awkwardness and indignity of family life."--Provided by publisher.