First published 1997
Peggy Cort works as a librarian in a small Cape Cod town in 1950. At twenty-six, she feels that love has passed her by completely. Then James Carlson Sweatt walks into her library. The eleven year old boy stands unusually tall for his age, and the townspeople whisper about his condition. Peggy and James strike up an unlikely friendship across the circulation desk. As James continues growing to extraordinary heights, reaching six foot five at twelve, then seven feet, then eight, his bond with Peggy deepens into something neither expected. Two outsiders find connection in their shared loneliness. Their relationship develops as James's medical condition progresses, creating a romance unlike any other. McCracken explores how love can flourish between the most unlikely people when they choose to open their hearts despite an uncertain world.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unlikely-friendship
Setting: Cape Cod
Period: 1950s
290 pages · Paperback · Avon Books