We All Loved Cowboys by Carol Bensimon

 

Cora and Julia have reunited in Brazil for a trip they talked about back when they were in high school.  They called it the unplanned trip and their thoughts were to just get in the car and drive through the country, visiting little towns that no one ever goes to.  Back then, the girls had an affair but both left Brazil to study abroad.  Cora has been in Paris studying design while Julia has been in Canada studying journalism.  

Both girls are bisexual.  Cora is mainly attracted to women although there have been a few men along the way.  She is not sure about Julia as she has had lengthy relationships with men and is supposed to be in one now with a man she left behind in Canada.  The girls parted on an unfriendly note as Cora didn't know that Julia had applied to a program out of the country and because she felt Julia was not committed to their relationship.  

As they drive around the country, they attempt to get back to their former close relationship.  Cora's father has married a woman only a few years older than Cora and she is about to get a baby brother.  She isn't sure how she feels about this.  Julia has an older brother and as they travel, she shares with Cora the family secret that shaped her life, relating to another brother no one talks about.  They eventually have sex and Cora has hopes but knows now that she doesn't dare make plans with Julia who is capable of making plans without her and then suddenly announcing them.

Carol Bensimon is a Brazilian author.  This book explores female relationships and the long time it sometimes take for young people to finally grow up and make their own way in life.  The girls are attracted to each other but it is unclear if they are willing to make a commitment to each other and if their lives can be melded when each is in a separate country.  This book is recommended to readers of literary fiction.