by Adam Haslett
First published 2010
A compulsive planner devises elaborate strategies to bridge the gap with his alienated son. His frantic schemes reveal the desperation of a parent who has lost his way. Meanwhile, an elderly woman from a prominent family finds herself confined to a nursing home, where she becomes an unlikely counselor to a lovesick young man. Her wisdom emerges from decades of disappointment and survival. An aging brother and sister wait together in their shared home, bound by years of quiet acceptance. They prepare for a visitor whose arrival will resurrect memories of how one person altered both their destinies long ago. Haslett weaves these lives together through moments of damage and grace. Each character carries wounds that have shaped them, yet love persists in unexpected forms. The stories capture how people endure loss and find connection despite the barriers they have built or inherited.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, relationships, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, grief
272 pages · Paperback · Rowohlt
Content warnings: mental-illness