The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker (2011) NEW BOOK, NEVER READ!! 

David is a historian - he knows the past is inescapable, and yet he has spent fifteen years trying to escape the tragedy that ended his first marriage; trying to convince himself that if only he works hard enough, his new family will be safe.  Kyra writes questions for a math textbook company; she loves puzzles and worships logic, yet she lives in fear of karma punishing her for the way she betrayed her sister, Amy, in college. After all, Amy was more than a sister – she was Kyra’s only real family since their mother abandoned them as young children – and their estrangement weighs heavily on her conscience.

So when Michael mysteriously disappears from his backyard one ordinary summer day, Kyra and David feel like the mistakes of their past have finally caught up to them. Each is convinced they know who has their son, but to find him, the Winters must embark upon an odyssey through time and memory. Their journey will involve David’s mother, Sandra, who offers both her son and her daughter-in-law a path to understanding, and David’s ex-wife Courtney, who lives just across town but in a universe away, where she struggles with the demons that caused her to lose everything she loved that fateful night fifteen years ago. It’s only when a mysterious stranger enters their lives that they will discover it’s not too late to become the kind of family they’ve always wanted to be—if only they can find a way to forgive themselves, and believe in the gift of a second chance.

Lisa Tucker’s most optimistic work since Once Upon a Day, The Winters in Bloom is a wise, life-affirming tale that is both poignant and surprisingly funny.  Though the fast-paced, captivating story will keep readers turning pages, the novel’s true power lies in its profound engagement with what it means to be alive: the mistakes we make, the price we pay, the fragility of human happiness but also the stubborn strength of the human heart.