In
Songs Without Words, Liz and Sarabeth are childhood friends, and when Sarabeth's mother commits suicide when she's a teenager, she goes to live with Liz and her family. Their close friendship continues into their adult lives. Sarabeth never settles down and constantly makes poor choices in her relationships. Liz lives the life she's craved, a stay-at-home mother with a successful and caring husband and two children. When her daughter, Lauren, suffers through her own personal crisis, it not only catches Liz off guard, but upsets all the relationships in her life, including her long friendship with Sarabeth. This second novel from Ann Packer (
The Dive from Clausen's Pier) has received mixed reviews with BookPage saying, "As
Songs Without Words illustrates, sometimes one event can bring out the underlying issues that were there all along in a relationship that was only healthy on its surface. Sometimes the relationship will endure, other times it won't (and perhaps shouldn't). Packer resists the urge to provide simple answers, which makes for a compelling read."
