by Anne Lamott
First published 1989
Reeling from the death of her young son, Frankie Mongomery flees San Francisco and lands in a quiet coastal town. She rents a small bungalow and tries to numb her pain with booze and pills. But her solitude is shattered by a nosy neighbor, a well-meaning friend, and a local kid who won't leave her alone. As Frankie fights to hold on to her self-destruction, she's drawn into the lives of the quirky townspeople, who offer an unexpected path back to the living. At its heart, this is a poignant story about learning to carry on after unimaginable loss.
Genres: fiction, grief, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, healing
176 pages · Paperback · Counterpoint