Mercy O'Reilly's destiny is to create and perform music like her father, heavy metal rocker The Griffin. The only problem is she can't. Her mother, a Griffin groupie who got on the bus fifteen years ago and came out with Mercy, complicates Mercy's life because it seems like Jane never grew up and Mercy has to be the grownup. Mercy plots to drop out of school and live with The Griffin in Houston, but when he stops taking her calls and everyone discourages her plans, she has to face some painful truths.

In the summer of love, 1967, two sisters leave their blue collar home in PA to make their way in NYC. The beautiful sister, Alex, quickly finds her stride, but the homely sister fights to keep her place in Alex's charmed orbit. They both struggle to adapt to changing social mores--the pill, the draft, abortion--and the decisions they make reverberate through the next generations. HIghly recommended.**