First published 2007
Helen MacFarquhar owns a bookstore in a picturesque New England coastal town. She has built a comfortable life after her divorce, raising her child and maintaining warm connections with the customers who browse her shelves. Helen approaches her days with independence and good humor. Then an unsigned love letter appears at her store. The message comes from someone who claims to adore her, but the writer's identity remains hidden. Helen finds herself consumed by questions about who sent the romantic declaration. The mystery sender could be anyone from her daily life. The letter forces Helen to examine her relationships with the people around her. She must decide whether to pursue this unknown admirer or protect the stability she has created. The anonymous correspondence awakens feelings Helen thought she had set aside, challenging her contentment with single life in her small seaside community.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: New England
Period: Contemporary
257 pages · Paperback · Picador