First published 1997
Virginia stares at unpaid bills scattered across the kitchen table while her young husband Buddy searches the couch cushions for loose change. They married quickly when she became pregnant, and now, two years later, they face their second difficult summer together. Money runs short every month. Their baby cries through the night. Buddy works long hours but brings home barely enough to cover rent. Virginia feels trapped in their small apartment, watching other couples their age go to movies and restaurants while she clips coupons and waters down the milk. Simple conversations turn into arguments about spending five dollars or whose turn it is to get up with the baby. The heat makes everything worse. Their friends seem to have figured out marriage and parenthood, but Virginia and Buddy stumble through each day wondering if love is enough. Thomas captures the weight of adult responsibilities crushing two people who barely know themselves, much less each other.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
240 pages · Paperback · Touchstone