First published 1999
A policeman responds to what seems like another ordinary domestic call. He sees something in the single mother who answers the door that makes him want to help, to make a real difference in her chaotic life. His good intentions lead to consequences neither of them expected. Around them, other lives intersect in moments of unexpected intimacy and regret. A widower selling his house cannot let go of the young couple who buy it, visiting them with his overwhelming grief. A daughter watches her Vietnam veteran father clash with her patriotic mother, their war playing out in their living room. Benny, middle-aged and reckless, carries on with Pete, a lover half her age, fully aware of the absurdity of their affair. These people have learned to expect disappointment. They have made peace with loneliness and failure, or think they have. But desire still surfaces, catching them off guard, forcing them to choose between fleeting passion and the safety of resignation.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
Paperback · Harcourt Brace Co