"We Are the Brennans"

"We Are the Brennans" by Tracey Lange 

Potent secrets and lies by omission threaten to tear apart

a close-knit Irish Catholic family, when one of them returns

to face her painful past. 

Sunday Brennan's decision to drive after an alcohol-fueled

night of partying, forces her to call on the only person who

just might come to her rescue, brother, Denny. Quite a

favor to ask since Sunday suddenly moved five years ago

to Southern California with a flimsy story about a job 

opportunity, leaving her entire family in shock along with

jilted fiance, Kyle. Little do they know, the promise of a

new and exciting life on the West Coast, was only a flimsy

excuse to escape from something she never wanted revealed.  

Denny doesn't hesitate to fly cross country to her hospital bed,

bringing his sister back to the only home she's ever really known

in West Manor, New York. And it's here, where her bruised and 

battered injuries slowly heal, that Sunday is forced to revisit the 

half-truths and shame she's endured for so long. 

In many ways, it's like time has stood still for the Brennan family

since Sunday abruptly left her parents, siblings, and extended 

family to supposedly follow her dream of becoming a writer.

Denny's dealing with a recent separation from a wife and child he

adores, while preparing to open a second family pub with Kyle, who

moved on with a new wife and son after Sunday left him broken-

hearted. Their father Mickey, now old and frail, still rules with a

silent hand, and Shane, the sibling with special needs, is simply

thrilled to have his beloved sister back home.

As the bittersweet homecoming evolves, Sunday becomes more 

determined to start over, even if it means enduring the resentment

that her family has fostered over the last few years. She soon

realizes that they need her support as much as she craves the

closeness they once shared. Financial woes, brought on by Denny,

along with a dangerous scoundrel from way back when, are just a

few of the obstacles standing in the way of Sunday's redemption.

Their survival as a family is dependent on finally exposing agonizing

memories that have festered for so long. 

With a vast array of vulnerable characters that are certain to make 

you feel all sorts of emotions, this passionate drama about family 

loyalty, reminds us that it's never too late to forgive and make amends 

when it involves the people you love.