Daphne, a creative writing teacher, in New York never thinks about her past. When she suddenly encounters her former stepfather at the Met, whom she has not seen in forty-four years, a chain of events follows.
Her mother and stepfather broke up shortly afterwards. At the time, Daphne did not question it. Only now, forty-four years later, is she able to revisit this painful time.
Daphne and her stepfather Eddie share a deep bond, a love of books, reading, and writing. Her mother remarried twice after marrying Eddie, but Daphne was closest to Eddie. So, when he re-enters her life, they crash into a heady catch-up game. Eddie ends up sharing his most guarded secrets.
The cover drew me immediately--a riderless horse staring vacantly into the distance. The horse, it turns out, plays an important part in the story. As an editor, Eddie received many book proposals. A book about Mary Carter's survival story and her dedicated horse, Whistler, is the one book he regrets not publishing.
The Whistler story resonates with Daphne and her sister, as they excavate their past. It reminds them of their own search for truth. After the accident, Mary Carter survives in a feverish state. Daphne questions Mary's story:
"Did she see things she really didn't see...The only thing anyone can be sure of was that the horse came back to get her, then brought her to the ranch. Whistler was real."
Daphne is also in the process of re-examining her past and asking questions. What if her parents had not divorced? What if Buddy had given up his love for the sea? What if Eddie had kept his promise and had given up his first love?
I love that this book focuses upon the ambivalent relationship Daphne has with her father and the many stand-in fathers in her life.
Buddy, her biological Dad, hardly ever saw her because he was devoted to the sea and fishing. She does remember that he always packed a survival kit in the car, which ends up helping her on the fateful day of the accident.
Lucas, her stepfather who writes advice books, is not someone she particularly admires. She ironically calls him "Mr. Positivity" because he writes self-help books but does not take his own advice. She recognizes, however, that he is the father of her half-brothers.
Daphne honors her two stepfathers and her biological father by returning when they needed her most. She is like Whistler who "exceeds expectations" by returning to Mary as she lies dying in the ground:
"She was in the space between life and death when you can see the people who died before you. I guess that's a kind of bardo, too."
Whistler courageously enters this "bardo" to save Mary's life.
In the end, Daphne is Whistler. She comes back for the fathers in her life. But if she comes back for them, it's only because Eddie preempts her. He is the first "Whistler," the one who finds her at the Met, after all those years, and helps her reconcile with the past.
Goodkeeping chose Whistler for its June 2026 Book Club Section.