by Walker Percy
First published 1989
Will Barrett stands at the edge of his own despair. The widower has sunk into such profound melancholy that he no longer wants to go on living. His depression feels unlike anything he has experienced before. Then he encounters Allison, who has fled from a mental hospital to build a solitary existence inside a greenhouse. She tends her plants and creates her own world away from doctors and institutions. Will becomes drawn to this unusual woman as he embarks on his own desperate quest to find concrete evidence that God exists. Their unlikely relationship develops as Will pursues his spiritual investigation. What begins as two damaged people crossing paths becomes something neither expected. The story moves between moments of deep sadness and unexpected humor as both characters struggle with their circumstances. Will discovers that his search for divine proof leads him toward discoveries he never anticipated about love, connection, and reasons to keep living.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, spiritual-journey
Setting: Greenhouse
Period: Contemporary
328 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ivy Books
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, suicide