From the author of Cracked and Empty comes a gripping, emotional story of two brothers who must make the ultimate decision about what's more important: family or their differences.
It's not Oscar's fault he's misunderstood. Ever since his mother died, he's been disrespected by his father and bullied by his self-absorbed older brother, so he withdraws from his fractured family, seeking refuge in his art.
Vance wishes his younger brother would just loosen up and be cool. It was hard enough to deal with their mother's death without Oscar getting all emotional. At least when Vance pushes himself in lacrosse and parties, he feels alive.
But when their father's alcoholism sends him into liver failure, the two brothers must come face-to-face with their demons - and each other - if they are going to survive a very uncertain future.
"Starred Review. Saturated with emotion ... It's a heart-wrenching portrait of a dysfunctional family and its destructive force." - Publishers Weekly
"Although the plot and dialogue can feel manufactured and simplistic, characters and story are compelling. A sweet look at an end-of-life moment that offers surprise even as the inevitable unfolds." - Kirkus
This information about Ultimatum was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
K.M. Walton is the author of Cracked, Empty, and Ultimatum . She is editing & contributing to the exciting new music-centered anthology Behind the Song. She is also the co-author of Teaching Numeracy: 9 Critical Habits to Ignite Mathematical Thinking a book for mathematics teachers K - 8. As a former middle-school language-arts teacher she's passionate about ending peer bullying. She gives powerful school & University presentations on "The Power of Human Kindness." K.M. is a graduate of West Chester University and a PAWLP fellow. She lives in PA with her husband, two sons, and cat.

If you liked Ultimatum, try these:
by Ann Napolitano
Published 2024
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes a poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
by Terah Shelton. Harris
Published 2024
An explosive and emotional story of four siblings―each fighting their own personal battle―who return home in the wake of their father's death in order to save their family's home from being sold out from under them, from the author of One Summer in Savannah.
by Jamel Brinkley
Published 2019
Jamel Brinkley's stories reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class - where luck may be the greatest fiction of all.
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading, you wish the author that wrote it was a ...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.