We all have days when it seems the world as we know it is falling apart. Mouthy teenagers, forgotten cell phones, the pressure of deadlines, others insisting that appearances are what creates integrity. One minute you have family togetherness, in the next, festering misperceptions distort everyone's viewpoint of how they thought it all worked. Or did it ever really work as well as it seemed? How much of life is an illusion we force upon ourselves? What might happen if we let go of our preconceptions, if we break the chains of habit? Who's keeping track, anyway? Lucy Linfeld, wife, mother and former lawyer, chafes at her husband's demands to present a perfect image to their world in his quest to retain his position as a District Court Judge in a small Western town. They used to be partners, sharing their innermost thoughts as they worked together. When his work takes precedence over family, balance is lost, blurring the entire family's focus. Their house reflects this angst; a nest of squirrels have eaten away at the roof supports, threatening to bring the structure down on their heads. When her best friend's marriage collapses as well, Lucy attempts to console her; the two women find themselves at odds with each other in Rome. They face universal questions: Who am I and where do I want life to take me? When will my decisions be respected? Filled with vivid characters, from the builder who decides to remake the Linfeld's house, without telling them first, family members with their own agenda, and the Judge's archenemy whose jealousy and willingness to set aside accepted conventions threatens to destroy them all, you'll discover that you know the people within its pages. Humans are not all that different, anywhere. Through insightful, nuanced descriptions of daily life, the novel ponders how the fabric of relationships worth keeping is stitched together, and what to do when it rips. The bigger question is how messy might the path to redemption be? Told with turns of sparkling wit and biting humor, Emily Kemme takes the reader on a fast-paced ride through reality. With writing that glows with originality, In Search of Sushi Tora evaluates the purpose of marriage, and puts a spin on how we can survive the trials of everyday life.