The Neapolitan Sisters: A Novel

Three sisters. Three vastly different lives. And a maelstrom of family secrets. For fans of María Amparo Escandón and Laurie Frankel, a riotous, provocative tale of family and sisterhood.

Growing up with a kind but alcoholic father and a suspicious, passive aggressive mother, the Suarez sisters each developed their own way of coping: Dulcina had her art and drugs and alcohol, Claudia plunged into her studies and fled to Princeton, and Maritza watched one Disney movie after another in between devouring romance novels.

Now all grown up, Maritza, still the baby of the family, is determined to get married before she turns 30. Her almost 6-year engagement finally coming to an end, she has less than a month to plan her dream wedding, find a wedding dress, and get her mama's boy fiancé Augustino and his family to fall in line. Maritza still lives at home in Boyle Heights, and she resents that her two older sisters are off living their own lives. Her sisters might think she's crazy for having this wedding, but she knows exactly what she's doing.

Middle sister Claudia is the designated fixer of the family. It's her job to make sure the wayward Dulcina is at the wedding and to manage the crises of bridesmaid dresses and uncooperative future in-laws. It's a lot to juggle alongside her demanding job as a film executive and a passionate, secret relationship with Ethan, an A-list Hollywood actor. She struggles to keep the relationship hidden from her coworkers, the tabloids, and her family, and even more to maintain her independence from Ethan, but her plan is threatened by his sincere love for her.

Eldest sister and art school dropout Dulcina or "Dooley," is finally sober. After getting the call from Claudia, she realizes it's time to leave San Francisco and come home, a place she has avoided for years. She quits her job as a bartender and makes the drive south, running into some hiccups and adventures along the way. Eager to be there for her family, she hopes to regain their trust.

When all three Suarez sisters find themselves back in their East L. A. home, each begins to take steps to come to terms with each other, their parents, and the secrets from their shared past. While their lives may have taken different paths, they are still the Neapolitan sisters at heart.