Mrs. Everything: A Novel

Jo and Bethie Kaufman grow up in 1950s Detroit in a traditional household where their roles seem predetermined. Jo is bookish and rebellious, wanting to make the world fairer, while Bethie is pretty and feminine, drawn to traditional life. As they mature against the backdrop of the counterculture, Vietnam, and women's liberation, their lives take unexpected turns. Bethie becomes a free-spirited adventurer who embraces the counterculture, while Jo settles into a conventional life as a mother in Connecticut, observing rather than participating in the changing world. Neither woman ends up living the life she imagined or finds authentic joy in her choices. This multigenerational narrative follows the two sisters from the 1950s to the present, exploring how they struggle to find their places and be true to themselves in a rapidly evolving world. The novel examines the different paths two sisters take and what it means for a woman to find her place in the world.