The adults are aware of this and continue to supervise Holly and Ruby. When Dakota has enough of playing with Holly and Ruby, she goes inside. Later, Erika overhears Clementine say she is repulsed by the idea of giving away her eggs begins drinking too much. Subsequently, the awkward conversation leads to revelations about failures of communication between both Sam and Clementine and Erika and Oliver, so going to the barbecue is a welcomed distraction for Clementine and Sam.Īs the party goes on, Clementine and Sam, who have been having some problems with sex in their relationship, enjoy the sensual pleasures Vid and Tiffany offer-food, music, and sex itself, as they find out that Tiffany was once a professional stripper. The IVF conversation does not go as Erika and Oliver had hoped.

They volunteer their daughter, Dakota, age 10, to play with Sam and Clementine’s two young daughters, Holly and Ruby, who are five and two, respectively. Vid and Tiffany, his wife, are newly wealthy and not afraid to enjoy it, taking pleasure in fanciful architecture, delicious food, and an appreciation of music. On the day Erika and Oliver plan to discuss IVF with Clementine and her husband, Sam, their neighbor, Vid, invites the four of them over to an impromptu barbecue. Subsequently, Erika’s childhood home was filthy and infested with fleas, so she longed for Clementine’s ordinary, ideal life. When the women were younger, Clementine’s mother pressured Clementine into being friends with Erika. However, Erika and Clementine’s friendship is full of resentment and jealousy due to a complicated history. Specifically, Erika wants to know whether Clementine will be her egg donor for IVF.Įrika’s husband, Oliver, is invested in having a baby, and he thinks Clementine is the best candidate to help them conceive. Erika has forgotten parts of the barbecue due to mixing prescription medication with alcohol and wanted to ask Clementine for answers. Erika plans to confront Clementine at the community talk but has a panic attack in the middle and leaves. Instead of practicing for an important audition, Clementine, a cellist, leads talks at community centers to assuage her guilt over the events of the barbecue. The first scene introduces the main characters, childhood friends Clementine and Erika. The novel begins weeks after the barbecue. The edition referenced is the first US e-book edition from Flatiron Books.

Truly madly guilty plot