FIREFLY LANE residents are back in FLY AWAY by Kristin Hannah in this moving story of grief, coming together, forgiveness, and love. Kate has passed away leaving her husband Johnny and their children Marah, Lucas, and Willis, and her best friend Tully to learn to live without her.

Tully promised to take care of Kate’s family, especially Marah, and failed miserably. Marah who missed her mom terribly and was having a difficult time with her grief; felt as though she was left on the outside looking in and set off on her own.  Her life was a mess and only got worse when she met Pax and got tangled up in his wayward lifestyle.  Johnny was trying to do the right thing, but his grief blinded him to what was going on around him and even when he recognized it, he was unable to engage effectively.  The twins Willis and Lucas coped fairly well. They were able to laugh and play even in the midst of the toughest time of a child’s life — the loss of a parent.  Tully spiraled downward into addiction, unable to handle the loss of Kate, until a life changing incident brought her to face her addictions and shortcomings.  

Dorothy Hart, who was known as Cloud in FIREFLY LANE, overcame the ghosts of her past and her dependence on drugs and alcohol.  Dorothy, Tully’s mother, spent Tully’s childhood running from the responsibility of raising her daughter, while sleeping with any man who would have her and sinking deeper into her dependencies.  Cloud goes into rehab and becomes the mother Tully had always wanted.

If you are looking for a light read, this isn’t it. It deals with some of life’s toughest issues – death, depression, addiction, and grief, among others, but shows that even when a person’s life is at its lowest, there is always hope.

To find out how these characters were redeemed and what it took for them to forgive and move forward, you will have to read FLY AWAY, a book I highly recommend.