The extraordinary Dani Shapiro (Family History and Slow Motion) pushes mother-daughter boundaries to the limit in a blistering novel about art and ambition. Clara is the grown daughter of controversial photographer Ruth Dunne, who made her name with her provocative photographs of young Clara. These photos have haunted Clara all her life, to the extent that she hasn't seen her mother for years, nor has Clara told her own daughter that her grandmother is alive. Now Ruth is dying, and Clara must return home to confront her mother, her past—and those exploitative pictures. Shapiro tunnels into the dark beating heart of love and identity, and while I don't quite buy the redemptive ending, the book still has a brilliant, shattering power.

"Just wait until she grows up and hates you," mothers of little girls often hear, but does adolescence really have to ruin a once-loving relationship? Therapists Hamkins and Schultz, both moms of daughters, didn't think so. Wanting a safe place to navigate the storms of their daughters' adolescence, they began to meet with other mothers and daughters, in hopes of keeping communication open. As they chatted about puberty, self-esteem, drugs, sex, and more, mother-daughter trust grew, bonds strengthened, and the girls grew strong, confident, and empowered. There are dozens of these projects now across the world, and this revolutionary book—full of tips, exercises, and specific questions to get conversations brewing—is a jump-start for closeness from adolescence on.

Some readers might see similarities to Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean, but Richmond's second novel is a startlingly original take on every parent's worst nightmare. Abby Mason is walking on the beach with Emma, the 6-year-old daughter of her fiancé, Jack, when the girl lets go of her hand and vanishes. Abby's life shatters into before and after; even after Jack is ready to give up in despair, she simply cannot. Stubborn and haunted, Abby continues her desperate search, certain that if she can somehow remember a clue, she might unlock the tragedy and find Emma. An unsettling and powerful punch of a book, The Year of Fog unfolds as a waking dream about the persistence of memory and the extraordinary force of love.