Reminiscent of the works of Kaye Gibbons and Mona Simpson, Susan Thames' I'll Be Home Late Tonight offers an incandescent examination of the bond between a mother and a daughter. During a car trip through the South of a generation ago, two women learn about each other's strengths, failings, and secrets. The book is about June & her daughter Lily. They are traveling in their car from town to town in a very random manner. June is setting poor examples for her daughter when it concerns her education & behavior around men. June gets herself in quite a bit of trouble with the men she pursues, even drags her young daughter into the trouble with her. You can't help but to feel sorry for Lily, but she will also start to make her own trouble.