by Mary Gordon
First published 2006
Isabel Moore has spent eleven years caring for her invalid father when he dies, leaving her alone at thirty with no idea how to live for herself. The daily routines that once structured her existence vanish overnight. She reaches out to friends from her past, finds work, and begins dating two men who offer completely different visions of her future. Isabel starts to imagine what her life might become when her history resurfaces with a test she never expected. Gordon tells a story about starting again, examining how friendship sustains us, how desire complicates us, and how guilt can either trap us or teach us about love.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Period: 20th-century
297 pages · Paperback · Anchor