Splinters of Light

Splinters of Light

“An awesome book that grabs the reader by the heartstrings and wrings emotions from the soul in the form of tears as she expertly slices up the reality of life as seen through the eyes of a teenager, a mother, and a sister.”

—Carolyn Brown,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Long, Hot Texas Summer

“With this profoundly moving, compelling tale of a woman who is on the verge of losing everything, Rachael Herron will break your heart and then mend it again, leaving you stronger than before. Reading
Splinters of Light
is a bit like watching a trapeze artist dance nimbly across a high wire: You’re left gasping in wonder at her grace and daring. And when the artist makes it safely to the other side, you cheer and want to see her do it all over again.”

—Holly Robinson, author of
Beach Plum Island

“Beautifully written and heartbreakingly real,
Splinters of Light
is a compelling examination of how the bonds between women—sisters, mothers, daughters—are tested by tragedy. The Glass family women will have you smiling in recognition and then grieving, laughing, and (consider yourself warned) sobbing along with them right up to the heartfelt ending.”

—L. Alison Heller, author of
The Never Never Sisters

“Rachael Herron has written a tenderly crafted story, compelling the reader to examine some difficult issues—single parenthood, family dynamics, and the heartbreaking realities of early-onset Alzheimer’s—and handles each one with sensitivity and compassion. But the beauty of this novel lies in the strength and resilience of the love between two sisters. I closed the book and held it to my chest, full of gratitude.”

—Kimberly Brock, author of
The River Witch

Pack Up the Moon

“Don’t forget
Pack Up the Moon
when you’re packing your bags—it’s the perfect vacation or staycation read. It’s filled with fiercely honest emotion, a celebration of the power of love to heal even the most broken of hearts.”

—Susan Wiggs, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Beekeeper’s Ball

“A superlative architect of story, Rachael Herron never steers away from wrenching events, and yet even moments of deepest despair are laced with threads of hope. . . . Herron is an inexhaustible champion of the healing power of love.”

—Sophie Littlefield, national bestselling author of
House of Glass

“A heartbreaking story of loss and family that achieves an optimistic feel in the end. . . . The language [is] poetic and moving at many points.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“An emotional roller coaster. . . . If you are in need of a heartfelt, highly emotional story, then look no further!”

—Dwell in Possibility

“The novel is remarkable in its poignancy and style. . . . Herron writes beautifully about the love between a parent and child. . . .
Pack Up the Moon
is a wonderful weekend read about love, loss, forgiveness, and family that leaves readers feeling grateful for their dear ones—and reaching for the tissues.”

—
The Gazette
(Montreal)

“A touching, emotional story based around really realistic characters who people can completely relate to. . . . It’s beautiful and haunting and it’s perfect.”

—Sunshine and Mountains Book Reviews & More

“It’s almost impossible to put down; Herron weaves such a poignant story, you find yourself caught up in the characters’ lives and are just simply drawn to their hopes, dreams, sorrows, and secrets. . . . I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

—Minding Spot

“The author geniusly takes the reader from the past to the present to show why Kate is the woman she is now and maybe the woman she could become. . . . The writing was just magical. I fell in love with both the characters and the setting for this book.”

—Kritters Ramblings

“Rachael Herron has created a work of intense beauty in
Pack Up the Moon.
Here is love and fear, hope and deep longing. Here are people trying their best, and falling short, and trying again. Here is unthinkable loss, and its aftermath. Herron’s beautifully rendered novel boldly shows us people at their lowest and then makes us fall in love with them.”

—Cari Luna, author of
The Revolution of Every Day

“Heartfelt and uplifting . . . this is a book I could not put down and am sad that it is over. I have no doubt that it is a book I will reflect on often and will stay with me for a long time.”

—A Novel Review

“
Pack Up the Moon
is about parenthood, secrets, and grief, and the many permutations that each can take in a lifetime . . . an interesting read with some characters that have stayed with me in the days since I closed the book.”

—Every Day I Write the Book

PRAISE FOR THE OTHER WORKS OF RACHAEL HERRON

“A warmhearted hug from a talented author. . . . The story will stay in your heart long after the last page is turned.”

—#1
New York Times
bestselling author Susan Wiggs

“Rachael Herron seamlessly blends romance, friendship, and laughter.”

—Barbara Bretton,
USA Today
bestselling author of
A Soft Place to Fall

Pack Up the
Moon

NAL Accent

Published by the Penguin Group

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A Penguin Random House Company

First published by NAL Accent, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Copyright © Rachael Herron, 2015

Conversation Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2015

Excerpt from “Beasts” by Carmen Giménez Smith copyright © Carmen Giménez Smith

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

REGISTERED
TRADEMARK—MARCA REG
ISTRADA

LIBRARY OF C
ONGRESS CATALOGING-I
N-PUBLICATION DATA:

Herron, Rachael.

Splinters of light/Rachael Herron.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-698-14801-7

1. Twin sisters—Fiction. 2. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 3. Domestic—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3608.E7765S69 2015

813'.6—dc23 2014038529

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

In honor of Alice Figueira, and the inspiring organization named for her, Alice’s Embrace. And for Diane Lewis, who loved her mother like I loved mine.

W
hile writing acknowledgments for any book, I’m always overwhelmed at how many people make a book. My deepest thanks go to my editor, Danielle Perez, for knowing what needed to be stripped away to make my characters truly come to life. Thanks as always to Susanna Einstein, one of my favorite people and the best agent in the world. I promise I’ll try not to make you cry like that again. Thanks to Dana Kaye, for being the best publicist ever. I thank the crew at Zocalo, who keep me going with coffee and grins: Evelyn, Tom, Winnie, Cathy, Kat, Buddy, Ed, and everyone else. Thanks go to A. J. Larrieu, who knows her epigenetics from her heritability (any errors in science are mine alone). Thanks to one of my favorite firefighters, Lucas Hirst, who gave me lots of info I chose not to use, and thanks to my coworkers/friends at the firehouse, who, when I have to go do writing business, cover my shifts for me without complaining (within my earshot, anyway). Huge thanks to Rebecca Beeson, who endured many twin questions and is a beautiful
writer
herself. To Sophie Littlefield, thank you for propping me up so much during the writing of this book that I should probably build you a flying buttress or something. To Cari Luna, thank you for loving me even after I stole your rocks. To Lala Hulse, always, my love and gratitude for everything—I couldn’t do any of this without you, not one single little bit. And to my sisters, Christy and Bethany Herron, who are and always will be my two best friends. You are the ones I will never let go.