Seven Birds. This item is unavailable.Seven Birds

Caught up in the turmoil of her own problems, Fez is oblivious to the struggles of her family members, who each face serious challenges—and things are only getting more complicated.

Fez, now fifty-two, never knew she had a sister—until one day, sixty-four-year-old Penny, a woman with special needs, has nowhere else to go and must move in with Fez and Fez’s teenage daughter, Hazel. But Penny hasn’t had to deal with change for a long time, and neither sister is sure how this new life will affect her. With her estranged husband living elsewhere, Fez is too distracted to notice the changes in Hazel, who has been falling into dangerous patterns of substance abuse.

The reunited sisters delve into family history to gain closure on a dark past, but before they find a satisfying answer, tragedy strikes—and their priorities finally start coming into focus.

Told from the varying perspectives of the three women, Seven Birds illustrates how complicated family issues and shared pain can forge stronger links among its members. If they can find compassion—for each other, for themselves, and for a mother’s past mistakes—then moving forward toward reconciliation and peace is possible.

Amy Sargent Swank graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts and now works as a designer. Married and the mother of three adult children, she resides in Westchester County, New York.