The first part of the book is fiction, and the manual is non-fiction. In Divorce, Gilly, 11, tells how she copes, some days not at all, with the impending divorce of her parents. Her younger sister, Honey, gets into serious trouble, and her two older sisters complicate matters. Mom gets a boyfriend and Dad gets a girlfriend. In her Manual and Advice on Coping With Your Divorce, Gilly gives advice about what she learned so that others won't have to go through the same heartbreak, and thoughts of suicide.