The A to Z of Everything

In this charming tale from Johnson (Jenny James Is Not a Disaster), two long-estranged sisters honor their late mother’s wish for them to reconcile. Rose and her younger sister, Poppy, were very close when they were growing up with their single mother, Andrea, an actor. But after Rose found out that Poppy slept with her boyfriend and future husband, Gareth, she cut off contact. It’s been 17 years since they’ve spoken when they each learn Andrea has died, and that she’s left them a list of tasks, arranged from A to Z, to do together (“A is for ashes” indicates they should begin by scattering Andrea’s remains). Poppy, now a high-flying marketing executive, and Rose, a stay-at-home mother to a teenage son, reluctantly convene at their mother’s cottage and begin to work through the list, which mixes lighthearted prompts (“C is for champagne”) with spiky conversation topics such as the “bastard” men in their lives, including Gareth, from whom Rose is now divorced. Johnson has a keen eye for complicated family dynamics, especially when Rose and Poppy find out their father’s name and debate whether to contact him, and the sisters’ reunion is heartwarming. Readers will be moved. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (Mar.)