by Dan Chaon
First published 2002
These characters inhabit the margins of American life. A mother watches her child slip away from her grasp. A man confronts the consequences of choices made years earlier. Children navigate worlds where adults have failed them. Each person grapples with the moments that led them away from conventional success and happiness. They face accidents of fate, wrong turns, and decisions that seemed small at the time but changed everything. Chaon reveals the inner lives of people society often overlooks. Their stories unfold with unexpected humor and moments of genuine connection. The characters search for meaning in circumstances they never planned for. Some find grace in unlikely places. Others discover that survival itself requires a kind of courage. These tales capture the complexity of lives lived on the edges, where hope and despair exist side by side.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate
274 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group