First-born Daughter

It's not that she's a queen-bee or anything, but Josey Muller is the only girl in her family, other than her Mom, that is, and she's gotten used to that. She might have wished for a sister sometimes, but only to discuss boys and help her with her homework.

Then Josey gets the news from her very nervous Mom: she has a sister. She's always had one. And now, she's going to meet her.

Josey's parents, when they were unmarried teens, were pressured to give up their daughter, but now, she's found them.

This changes... everything.

Josey expected her parents would be... well, happy, and that her brothers would be more freaked out, but that her sister would be cool, but that's all she expected. She doesn't expect her mother to be so happy, like she's won the lottery or something. She doesn't her Dad to say over and over and over how much she and Audrey look alike. Josey doesn't expect the feelings of jealousy and guilt lashing at her to cause her such mood swings, and bouts of screaming. When she practically flunks a test in a class she loves, she feels like everything is falling apart. Josey's beginning to hate the whole idea of having an older sister. Nobody asked her if she wanted a one, after all.

Can you uninvite someone into your life? Can you share your parents? Can you recover, if the life you thought you had turns out to be a lie?

S.T. Underdahl records the realistic and turbulent changes of a family stretching to include one more. It's her own story, in more ways than one.

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