ON THIS DAY

Bellows brings grace and grit to this debut novel about two siblings trying to keep their lives afloat during a tumultuous year in which both of their parents die. Narrator Warren is 18 and his sister Joan is 20 when their father dies of cancer and their mother falls apart and eventually commits suicide. Soon afterward, their father's business partner seizes the opportunity to take over their nursery business and cut Joan and Warren off. Focusing on small family moments, the eloquent yet down-to-earth narrative balances gut-wrenching scenes of grief with some funny, ironic passages in which Warren and Joan fend off dubious offers of help from a meddlesome, unbalanced aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Joan copes with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Mike, while Warren is seduced by his best friend's sister. Warren's real interest, however, is in an older woman, Valerie, a single mother who used to work for his father. When Warren learns that his father had fired Valerie after having an affair with her and getting her pregnant, he has to face some unpleasant truths about their family life. Confronting one disaster after another, the two siblings are sustained by their prickly, contentious but ultimately loving relationship. The dark material never seems sensational or maudlin, and the vulnerable yet gutsy Warren is a believable, beguiling voice. Bellows breaks little new ground, but he shows great assurance in this promising first novel. (Feb. 11)