Like Family
By Paula McLain

This is a memoir by a woman who grew up in foster care with her sisters. It captures how cruel people can be while congratulating themselves on their good works. One foster mother discusses with a supermarket cashier how McLain's mother left for the movies, never to return. The most remarkable thing about this book, especially since the crimes detailed in it are legion, is that no one is portrayed as evil; McLain's characters are too complex. She presents them in all their loneliness, determination, and intense sadness—in other words, humanity.