The A to Z of Everything

A Novel of Sisters

By: Debbie Johnson

Narrated by: Julie Maisey

"My darlings . . . Not to be too Hollywood about this, but if you're watching this tape, that can mean only one thing: I have shuffled off this mortal coil . . . and you two are going to need each other more than ever. You need to set aside your differences and look out for each other--just like you always used to."

Poppy and Rose used to be close as sisters could be--until everything went wrong. Now in their forties, they haven't spoken in years. But when their vivacious, glamorous, powerhouse of a mother dies, they are both faced with the shock of grief. However, their mother was not one to go shrinking into the night. No, their mother, Andrea, has left them a project to work on together: a sort of scavenger hunt through their lives, which she calls the A to Z of Everything. Her final wish: to heal the fractured relationship between her daughters that broke her heart.

A is for Ashes. C is for champagne. D is for Daddy Issues. But when they get to F for Forgiveness, can they make a start, even when they can barely look at each other?

With Andrea's wicked sense of humor and wild stories from her acting career, she has left the quest in a series of boxes filled with letters, recordings, videos, mementos, and instructions.

From Liverpool to London and even Paris, the sisters follow the trail toward a glimmer of hope: despite loss, there is room for laughter, love, and healing--and for second chances.

Critic reviews

'In this charming tale from Johnson (JENNY JAMES IS NOT A DISASTER), two long-estranged sisters honor their late mother's wish for them to reconcile . . . Johnson has a keen eye for complicated family dynamics, especially when Rose and Poppy find out their father's name and debate whether to contact him, and the sisters' reunion is heartwarming. Readers will be moved.'