The Mourning After

Fifteen-year-old Levon Keller is wedged between his golden boy older brother, David, and Levon’s younger sister, Chloe, who battles with a rare genetic illness, glycogen storage disease. A not-so-classic middle child, Levon changes the lives of everyone around him when he is blamed for being behind the wheel of a car that accidentally kills David, whom Levon idolized, admired and adored. The Miami Beach family faces unspeakable suffering and devastation. Each member has a unique response to the accident: Madeline, Levon’s mother, cool and indifferent, whose love and loyalty Levon longs for so desperately, searches for answers she may never find; Craig, Levon’s father, who, according to Levon, is “perfect and tall like a Florida palm,” and “weak in the presence of Mother Oak;” and Chloe, wholesome and courageous, whose medical condition causes daily concern for everyone, because when a child is chronically ill, the entire family feels the pain. There’s Lucy Bell, an intriguing teenager who moves in with her family next door to the Kellers. Levon is immediately drawn to Lucy and the two develop an unexpected and extraordinary bond in the midst of the Keller family chaos. As this domestic turmoil plays out, a potentially more complicated drama arises: It is now up to Levon to take care of Chloe while his parents emotionally disconnect from him and grieve. Weinstein’s poignant, wise, and in-the-trenches view of Levon’s focused care-giving for his sister shines a powerful light on what daily life is like for families with children who are stricken with GSD and raises much-needed awareness for this little-known illness. The Mourning After unfolds with sharp insight and eloquently captures the flawed humanity of these unforgettable characters. Readers will applaud the Keller’s breakthroughs and root for them on every page as the family grapples to find peace in the aftermath of tragedy and struggles to embrace the endless possibilities that life brings with each new day.The author will donate 50% of the proceeds to glycogen storage disease research.