Real Family: A Journey of 5 Friends Discovering Their Identities and the True Meaning of Family (Real Family series)

"A sprawling, deeply felt saga... A masterful exploration of the families we inherit and the ones we build in the wreckage."In the deceptively tranquil 1980s, the lives of five adolescents—Nicholas, Lopez, Anna, Eileen, and Chris—are bound by the geography of a single suburban cul-de-sac. They have forged an unbreakable, chosen family that serves as their only shield against the quiet desperation brewing behind their neighbors' closed doors: a father's crushing expectations, suffocating poverty, and terrifying abuse happening in plain sight.But as they step into high school, their sanctuary is shattered by a fatal accident that splinters the group with guilt. The tragedy ignites a chain reaction: a devastating fire consumes a home, a dangerous newcomer’s obsession turns deadly, and the friends are sent down paths of trauma and reinvention they never imagined.Spanning more than a decade, the narrative follows their divergent lives until a stunning reunion forces them to confront the people they’ve become. There, the ultimate truth of their bond is revealed—a final, courageous act that challenges our very definitions of selfhood, forgiveness, and love.Real Family is a powerful, character-driven novel about the radical act of choosing who you are and the enduring grace of the family that chooses you back.This novel is the first in a six-book series; five subsequent novels will each dedicate a volume to one of the five main characters, filling in the decade-long gap in their individual stories. Read more