A haunting and enchanting tale of a young girl''s poignant first look into the turbulent depths of the human heart.

"I had in my care that summer four dogs, three cats, the Moran kids, Daisy, my eight-year-old cousin, and Flora, the toddler child of a local artist. There was also, for a while, a litter of wild rabbits, three of them, that had been left under our back steps...."

In Alice McDermott''s first work of fiction since her bestselling, National Book Award-winning novel Charming Billy, a woman born beautiful narrates a wry tale infused with suppressed passion, disappointment, and enduring hope. Raised on the east end of Long Island among the country houses of the rich, she is the town''s most sought-after babysitter on the cusp of fifteen—cheerful, beloved, a wonder with children and animals, but also a solitary soul with a complex understanding of human nature.

When her favorite cousin, Daisy, comes to spend the summer, the narrator''s witty, piquant evocation of all that transpires under the surface gives this seemingly idyllic season a remarkable vividness and impact. In exploring the mysterious depths of everyday life, McDermott once again delivers resonant emotional power and unforgettable insights.