Whistler by Ann Patchett

I am a huge Ann Patchett fan, and since reading her last book I have become a fan of her through her work at Parnassus and her unwavering support for books, authors, and independent bookstores. She is a marvel. So yes, predisposed to love this, and I did. There are some parallels to Patchett's own story in this one. Daphne is much younger than her husband and she has had three fathers--her biological father, a middle stepfather, and her current stepfather. Eddie was the fan favorite, and even though he was the shortest lived, he was the one that loved Daphne best, better than her own parents. When he disappeared from her life when she was a child after a catastrophic car accident, she never found a parent figure that replaced him. Flash forward decades--she and her spouse are at a NYC museum and her husband is convinced they are being followed by a stranger--which it turns out they are. It is Eddie, and the feelings of affection between them are easily revived, and they are both eager to in some way catch up and be part of each other's stories again. They discover that the familiarity between them has not waned with time. They share the intimacy of renewed friendship, bolstered by small revelations: As it turns out, Eddie is gay, and his relationship with Daphne’s mother broke down, in part, because he could not deny that truth. The modern world is complicated and what constitutes family has shifted and permutated in ways that this book very sweetly captures. Do not miss this--it is hopeful and bright.