Inspired by the true life Connecticut circus fire of 1944, The Proper Order of Things is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1980s in Southwestern Ontario. Unsure why she is the only child (of 9) who gets to choose between moving with her dad to an apartment in the city and staying with her mother in her remote hometown, Caroline receives an answer that she will contemplate throughout her adolescent years: "You are the lucky one." With parents whose secret past haunts every limb of the family tree, and siblings who range from rats to copycats, Caroline is sure to face a difficult journey no matter which household she chooses. While her compulsive mother allows the family to multiply exponentially in hopes of replacing what was lost, her superstitious father is petrified of history repeating itself. Caroline's only hope is to move closer to Chester, the one person who truly understands the importance of a pinkie swear. In a family where a birthday is more sacred than life itself, only one member's death can reveal the truth about the others.