I've always been a fan of Catherine's writing. The writing in this story is superb, as expected. The characterization wasn't on point in my opinion though. I wonder why the author chose to make Walter a biracial kid, but didn't consider the ramifications for a biracial family when the one who dies is the white parents. I also wondered if the author really considered how the consequences for a toddler pooping in a display bathroom at IKEA, or his brother staying at the store overnight when the kids in question are black. Not every book has to address "the struggle," but I felt like the author added this element to jump on the diversity bandwagon without thinking how the detail of the characters race affects several aspects of the story. For this reason, I didn't love it, and was, to tell the truth, really disappointed in the execution of a wonderful concept.