I'm a big fan of first novels, and I loved Cheryl Stayed's Torch (Houghton Mifflin, Feb. 1), though it's hard to believe this is her first book. It's about how a family implodes and has to redefine itself in the face of a mother's unexpected death. I read it in a sitting because I couldn't put it down. It has really stayed with me, partly because the owner of the store where I work died unexpectedly on Thanksgiving, and left the store to me. I read the book before that happened, but Strayed's depiction of how a family handles a sudden loss seems even more eloquent and truthful to me now. I'll be hand-selling it to fans of Jane Smiley, Jane Hamilton and Barbara Kingsolver, or anyone who likes a good, character-driven book. The way that the mother is always positive and upbeat, even facing death, will appeal to many readers.