Birthday Parties in Heaven

In this collection of eloquent and moving essays, Ana Veciana-Suarez explores many of the topics closest to our hearts. In “Stitchwork,” she expresses her mixed feelings about a mother who devotes all of her attention to her family. In the title essay, she examines, with unflinching honesty, the loss of her first husband, then gives us a humorous and compelling account of her remarriage in “Second Time Around.” Veciana-Suarez offers wise reflections on everything from the bond between sisters to the anxiety of swimsuit shopping season. By turns witty and big-hearted, poignant and defiant, these essays open a door to the ways one woman and her extended family cope with both the joys and heartbreaks of life.