by Anne Tyler
First published 2025
Gail Baines loses her job the day before her daughter Debbie's wedding. She wasn't invited to the spa day by the groom's mother, and now her ex-husband Max shows up at her door with a cat, no luggage, and no wedding suit. Gail already feels like an outsider at her own daughter's celebration. Then Debbie reveals a secret about her fiancé that threatens to cancel the wedding entirely. The revelation forces Gail and Max to confront their own failed marriage and the choices that tore their family apart. As the wedding day approaches, Gail must navigate her social awkwardness, her complicated feelings about Max, and her fierce love for Debbie. Tyler captures the messy reality of family relationships with sharp humor and tender observation.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, second-chance
165 pages · Hardcover · Knopf