Summary

Ruth's diary entries begin on the day after Christmas. She writes that she arrived at her parents' home on Christmas Eve to help take care of her father, Howard, who has Alzheimer's disease. She explains that she has recently separated from her fiancé, Joel, after he cheated on her with another woman named Kristin. She had been under the impression that they were going to move into a new apartment together, but after boxing up all of his belongings, Joel told Ruth that he was leaving her. Now, Joel and Kristin are living together in South Carolina. On Christmas Morning, Ruth's father shows her a small notebook that he has kept since Ruth was a little girl. It contains letters that he wrote to her about what she said and did on particular days. Ruth's mother, Annie, asks Ruth if she can...