by Julia Glass
First published 2006
Greenie Duquette tastes the coconut cake that changes her life at Walter's restaurant in Greenwich Village. The governor of New Mexico samples her creation and offers her a job as his personal chef. Greenie accepts and heads west, leaving behind her depressed husband Alan and their four year old son George. Her bakery, her marriage, and her comfortable life in New York all fall away as she chases this new opportunity. Alan stays in the city to confront his problems alone. Walter takes in his teenage nephew while nursing his own broken heart. Greenie discovers that working for a charismatic politician brings complications she never expected. Her choices separate her from George and create ripple effects that touch everyone around her. The story follows these characters through a transformative year that ends with the September 11 attacks, forcing each person to reckon with the decisions they have made about love and loyalty.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Greenwich Village, New Mexico, New York
Period: September 11
509 pages · Hardcover · Pantheon