In this vividly written, suspense-driven novel, the secrets shared between two sisters erupt in tragedy. Rikki Moore was always the star of the family, easily outshining her younger sister, Stacy, at every turn. Smart, kind, and beautiful, it was no surprise when Rikki met and married the perfect man -- pediatrician Matt Dresden. Her students at 59th Street Elementary School adored her, the church matrons solicited her help on every committee, and everyone wanted the golden couple to put in an appearance at their parties. Stacy? She was just the overweight little sister who couldn't get her love life together. But the world didn't know about the storms that rippled just beneath the surface of Rikki's image of perfection. Ever since she was a teenager there were emotional breakdowns and obsessive behaviors -- secrets that Stacy was left to bear alone. Folks whispered, but they didn't know. When Rikki's husband, Matt, mysteriously disappears, however, the Moore family's carefully constructed image comes crashing down. Insightful and empathic, first novelist Hall's portrayal of bipolar disorder and its long-term effects on an African American family grabs readers from the start. Stacy, the narrator, begins her story with a childhood memory of a storm and goes on to liken her sister's life to a series of storms, an image that works very well. Stacy is compelled by family expectations to watch over and protect Arika, a sensitive child and then a troubled teen who grows into an unpredictable adult. As Rikki's illness progresses, their parents wring their hands helplessly, unable to cope. Counseling and drug therapy are sought only after Rikki's suicide attempt, but her sporadic use of her medication renders both therapies ineffectual. Despite her disorder, Rikki becomes a successful teacher and marries a wealthy doctor, though her bouts of crying and obsessive behavior eventually put her job and her marriage at risk. Meanwhile, the stress of continuing to watch out for her sister ruins Stacy's marriage and her health as well. While Arika's path to self-destruction is predictable, the shocking conclusion alone is worth the price of the book. A surprisingly accurate and touching drama of chronic mental illness, this compelling story is recommended for public libraries and book groups. - Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. This debut novel explores the dynamics of a family facing mental illness. Sisters Rikki and Stacey were born 11 months apart. Rikki is older, smarter, more beautiful, emotionally fragile, and suffers from "the storms in her head." Stacey is the stalwart, vigilant protector, who has placed herself between her older sister and whatever tormented her--a bully at school, a rejecting boyfriend, a mother overly concerned with the opinion of others. Rikki's attempted suicide as a teenager heightens the family's denial, and the father's early death to a heart attack uncovers betrayal. Mother and daughters are caught in a dynamic of escalating demands, denial, and trauma, and the rising hysteria threatens the marriages of both sisters. Long-suffering Matt struggles with Rikki's manic depression, and Eric resents the constant intrusions on Stacey. As Rikki's storms increase, Stacey struggles to balance her obligations to her sister and to her husband, trapped in a spiral that will test the boundaries of love and her role as her sister's keeper. Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Nikki Giovanni A spectacular debut. Welcome Rachel Hall. The poets wish you well. Lolita Files Author of Child of God Rachel Howzell Hall has written a powerful, astonishing tale about the responsibilities -- and horrors -- we sometimes bear in the name of family, and how those familial boundaries can be pushed to the limit. The author does a tremendous job of pulling the reader into the abyss of frustration the characters endure as they deal with the unraveling of one deeply troubled family member. Rachel Howzell Hall lives in Los Angeles. Chapter Two QUEEN OF HEARTS Arika -- we called her Rikki -- pulled luck from life like a blackjack dealer pulls aces from a deck. In junior high school, she was voted Best Figure and Most Likely to Succeed. She won poetry contests, received scholarships from Bank of America and the Urban League, scored 1,500 on the SATs, graduated salutatorian of her class, and sacked lunches at the Los Angeles Mission. She taught fourth grade at 59th Street Elementary School, in the heart of South Central Los Angeles­Rolling 60's gang territory. The hearts of the boys in her class fluttered for the first time in their prepubescent lives when they met Miss Moore. The girls styled their hair with their mothers' big-barreled curling irons to simulate their teacher's cascades. Her colleagues stole her lesson plans because Rikki's students outperformed other kids in the school district. My sister received more Valentine'