finished reading

This character-driven family drama reverberates with the guilt, grief, and resentment stemming from beloved brother and son, Topher's, death. The narrative thread varies between the three sisters:  Cait, Alice, and Maggie--and the sister dynamics resonated with me.  The relationships among the sisters, the touch of sibling rivalry, and the deep devotion were authentic.  And the parental relationships rang true, too.  Especially how the sisters almost underestimate their aging parents' ability to relate to each modern conundrum. Knowing that an "Irish Goodbye" is slang for leaving a social gathering surreptitiously without saying farewell to anyone helped the title click.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel.  Although there were a few slow sections, the pace held my interest.  The audio narration is very good.  

From the publisher:

Three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend spent in their childhood home, navigating complex relationships and old tensions.

It’s been years since the three Ryan sisters were all home together at their family’s beloved house on the eastern shore of Long Island. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by an accident on their brother Topher’s a friend’s brother was killed, the lawsuit nearly bankrupted their parents, and Topher spiraled into a depression, eventually taking his life. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carrying a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush, Topher’s best friend and the brother of the boy who died. Middle sister Alice’s been thrown a curveball threatening the career she’s restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk to bring the woman she loves home to her devoutly Catholic mother. Infusing everything is the grief for Topher that none of the Ryans have figured out how to carry together.

When Cait invites a guest to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive themselves—and one another.