It was too much to ask. But sometimes too much is what we ask of the people we love most.

Radclyffe, New York, is an idyllic upstate town, nestled in the hills away from the city. Ruth, Caroline and Tobi are living the dream; Ruth has a wife she loves, sprawling land and wonderful children. Caroline, an ex-Manhattanite, is enjoying a slower pace, time to focus on her music. Tobi runs an Instagram-famous pottery business that is constantly expanding.

But cracks are appearing beneath the surface. After an unexpected death rocks their community, these friends are forced to confront tensions that have long been buried and reveal the secrets they never shared. An exquisite portrait of friendship, love and loyalty, Like Family captures the joy and heartbreak of growing older and the richness and pain of knowing and being known.

Erin White is the author of the memoir Given Up for You. Her writing has been previously published in the New York Times, the Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Minnesota with her wife and daughters.