Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Anna Bruno for the opportunity to read this wonderfully haunting debut novel - 5 stars!
"You can worry all you want, but you'll never predict the thing that will destroy you." It's the ordinary hazards of life that change us, each small decision that leads us to where we are. This story takes place over a single day, as Emma is in a bar, The Final Final, drinking to escape her pain and past. As the night passes, Emma reminisces and we learn how she finds herself divorced from her husband, Lucas, alone in the bar while ignoring frantic calls from her friends and coworkers. We learn about all those tiny decisions she made and how she now has to learn to make peace with them or give up. We also learn about the secrets and backstories of the regulars at the bar, those she and Lucas considered friends in her before life.
This is just a fabulously-written character study. You will feel deeply for Emma as she tries to live with her losses and grief. I loved the relationship she had with Lucas, Lion and Addie. This is a story of trying to deal with all that grief and come out on the other side, changed but alive and hopeful. There are so many themes in this book to discuss that it would be such a wonderful book club selection. It's a very quietly powerful novel.
On a personal note, I loved that this took place in Upstate NY, although a different part from where I live. I related to Emma's musings on Lucas' job as a drywaller and the 5 levels. And since my own husband is building our home without any subcontractors, I definitely related to their personal joke, "Everything left to do is just cosmetic."
After just having finished it, I find myself wanting to read it again to pick up more of the stories and feelings. Highly recommended!
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