My sister assisted in the murder of another girl when I was in eighth school. In the formerly rich beach community of Ashaway, Rhode Island, autumn 2009 is the worst possible time for the Oliviera family?mother Carol, daughters Angel and Marie. Money is scarce, Carol struggles to avoid unsuitable men, Angel is devastated to hear that her longtime lover Myles has been having an affair with a classmate named Birdy, and Marie is left on her own. The loyalty of Carol and Marie will be put to the test in ways they could never have anticipated as Angel and Birdy, both overcome by the intensity of their affections for Myles, careen towards a collision that is both terrible and inevitable. Stewart O'Nan's expert hand has crafted a crushing and propulsive novel about sisters, mothers and daughters, and the desperate ecstasies of love and the terrible things we do for it. Both swoony and haunting, Ocean State is a masterful work by one of the great storytellers of everyday American life.