Holzman’s poignant if meandering coming-of-age story (after Flatlanders) centers on the obligations of two neighboring families in a changing Silicon Valley. Settling in a brand-new suburban development in 1959 Sunnyvale, Calif., the Jacksons and Hopkins are two very different families. As the 1960s unfurl, emotionally distant Vietnam veteran pilot Joe Jackson relies on his oldest daughter Harriet to take care of the other children as well as his despondent wife, Hiroko, a Japanese war bride, during his frequent absences. Perfectionist Alice Hopkins has little control over her science nerd son, Bobby, and hippie daughter, Patty. After Hiroko explodes over teenage Bobby and Harriet’s trysts and Harriet’s sister Kat gets pregnant at 15, Harriet emotionally retreats into her family responsibilities, putting her own future on hold to help raise Kat’s son, Eddie. Meanwhile, tech savvy Bobby becomes a successful innovator in the personal computer revolution. In the 1990s, Harriet must make a crucial decision on whether to help Eddie, who is being sued for physically abusing his martial arts students, or break away from her needy family. While the plot often stalls, Holzman’s accomplished prose propels her beleaguered characters through tragedies and watershed moments. There’s much to enjoy in this well-constructed sketch of people constrained by their family and their choices. (Self-published)