Bird of Paradise

Diana Abu-Jaber wrote Birds of Paradise, a novel about a family living in southern Florida.  Most of the book illustrates the picture of a family torn apart by the youngest child running away from home.  It isn't until close the end of the book that we find out why she ran away.  Her father, a real estate lawyer, her mother, a bakery owner, and her brother, an organic grocery owner, are all damaged by her absence.  The sister admired her brother for his commitment to his goals and beliefs. She tries to emulate that in herself and ironically, this is the reason why she won't come home again.  This is a fascinating story and the characters are vividly exposed.