In the rural idyll of Mt. Ephraim, New York, the Mulvaneys are a golden family—thriving, admired, and happy. But when an unthinkable tragedy besets their daughter Marianne on Valentine’s Day of 1976, the family is catapulted into a spiral of silence, shame, and exile. 'We Were the Mulvaneys' intricately traces each family member's path through the turmoil, narrated by the youngest son, Judd, who seeks to piece together the mosaic of their past. Joyce Carol Oates crafts a tapestry of the human condition, exploring the depths of familial bonds, the weight of secrets, and the resilience needed to forgive and reconnect. As the Mulvaneys' story unfolds, they confront the fragility of their happiness and the power of redemption in the wake of loss.