In terms of making decisions in this variant of this Mona Simpson publication mother Adele August is bad for money, and even worse. Ann, her straight-laced daughter, can be a high school student with Ivy League aspirations. If Adele decides to pack up and then move the both of these from the Midwest to Beverly Hills, Calif., to pursue her fantasies of Hollywood success, Ann grows frustrated with her mother's reckless and impulsive ways.