"Lauren  Grodstein breaks your heart, then miraculously pieces it back together so  it's bigger-and stronger-than  before."-Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You How  can a woman learn to let go of the people she loves the  most? Karen Neulander,  a successful New York political consultant and single mother, has always been  fiercely protective of her son, Jacob, now six. She's had to be:  when Jacob's father, Dave, found out Karen was pregnant and made it  clear that fatherhood wasn't in his plans, Karen walked out of the  relationship, never telling Dave her intention was to raise their child  alone. But now Jake is asking to meet his dad, and  with good reason: Karen is dying. When she finally calls her ex,  she's shocked to find Dave ecstatic about the son he never knew he  had. First, he can't meet Jake fast enough, and then he  can't seem to leave him alone. Karen quickly grows anxious as she  watches Dave insinuate himself into Jake's life just as her own  strength and hold on Jake grow more tenuous. As she  struggles to play out her last days in the right way for Jake, Karen wrestles with the  knowledge that the only thing she cannot bring herself to do for her  son-let his father become a permanent part of his  life-is the thing he needs from her the most. With heart-wrenching  poignancy, unexpected wit, and mordant humor, Lauren Grodstein has  created an unforgettable story about parenthood, sacrifice, and life  itself.