First published 2021
Valentine's Day 1977 finds the residents of 28 Barbary Lane pursuing love across California and beyond. Mary Ann and Michael board a cruise ship bound for Acapulco, each chasing romantic possibilities on the high seas. Mary Ann encounters a handsome stranger with no memory and an inexplicable fear of roses. Michael stumbles upon his favorite gynecologist in an unexpected setting. Meanwhile, Mona has traded San Francisco for Winnemucca, where she works the front desk at a brothel. She believes she's left her old life behind, but revelations about Mrs. Madrigal await. These discoveries will illuminate secrets about both her former landlady and herself. The second volume of Maupin's chronicles follows these characters as they navigate desire, identity, and the surprising connections that bind them together across distance and circumstance.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, secrets
Setting: Acapulco, Barbary Lane, California, San Francisco, Winnemucca
Period: 1977
128 pages · Hardcover · Steinkis