This is a complex story, told in multiple flashbacks. I had to go back and read parts of it a second time to see exactly what happened. But the ending made it worthwhile.
Carin is a new mother and she blogs a lot about her joy in the experience, and her brilliance at the task. Also she hands down her dictates as to what is and isn't fashionable. And writes about her handsome husband.
Sounds insufferable, huh? But she isn't the main character. Celestine lives nearby, and she watches Carin, online in real life. But mostly Celestine obsesses over the death of her little brother when she was a child, for which she was partly responsible.
Did I mention that Carin leaves her baby, Gabriel, snoozing in his perfect stroller in the lovely fresh air outside her charming window while "Carin, with her shades drawn, is advising clueless mothers on how to best take care of their offspring. And Celestine is standing on her balcony right across the street..."
Celestine has plans for Gabriel. They don't go exactly right. But what happens is quite astonishing, and worth a read.
