Snow in July: a novel: Amazon.ca: Heather Barbieri: Books

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From Booklist

Barbieri entertains with a somewhat clumsily written but plausible coming-of-age story about two sisters, the older of whom, Meghan, is a drug addict with two small children. Barbieri's narrator is 18-year-old Erin, the "responsible" sister, keeper of the family peace, and part-time mender at Funkified, a vintage clothing store in downtown Butte, Montana. Chapters about the agonies of addiction are heartfelt but predictable, as Meghan steals from her family, receives frightening late-night calls from vengeful drug dealers, and takes less-than-stellar care of her children. But a series of insights into a mining-town gone bust, and the limited future of its restless teens, helps save the book. The novel moves swiftly, and Barbieri has a knack for describing sisterly bonds. Although uneven, this story of familial obligations will resonate with readers sensitive to the traumas of addiction and the demands and rewards of loyalty. Rebecca Maksel
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"A stark and powerful portrait of a family flawed by addiction and betrayal; a family redeemed by love. Heather Barbieri writes with raw honesty and true compassion. This is a novel that stays with you well beyond the last page."-Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of An Almost Perfect Moment

"Heather Barbieri has crafted a beautiful coming-of-age novel set among the abandoned mines of Butte, Montana. Two sisters try climbing a ladder that doesn't exist, and swirl within the landscape that is as pitted as their lives, hoping in the end to just survive the shattered world that has consumed them. Snow in July is a step into the dark underpinning cosmos of small town America, where love is the only Band-Aid for a broken world."-Michael Hornburg, author of Downers Grove and Bongwater

All of Erin's life, her sister has eclipsed her, stolen her boyfriends and commanded the family's attention with one meteoric crisis or another. Meghan was always smarter, prettier, more daring and dynamic. As a child, she could charm her way out of any situation, usually leaving Erin to shoulder the blame for their various transgressions. But Meghan has been gone for years, and now Erin is anxious to leave Butte behind her, too; to go East to art school, or West to Los Angeles to become a jewelry designer-anywhere, so long as it's far from Butte, Montana. Then Meghan, a single mother with a six-year-old daughter and an infant, unexpectedly returns, again expecting Erin and their mother to solve her problems. But this time there are other people involved, no easy solution to those problems and no one else to blame.

Meghan is now addicted to men, danger and drugs. She is the world's "most frequent flier." Little Teensy and baby Si-Si are lonely and endangered. When Meghan's attempts to stay clean falter, the responsibility for the children becomes Erin's. But how much can she be expected to sacrifice for her nieces' well-being? Can she find fulfillment and happiness, even in Butte?

Heather Barbieri lives with her husband and three young children in Seattle, Washington. Snow in July is her first novel.

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