2022-07-06
Terpstra’s debut novel presents a story of family tragedy and the power of second chances.
Olivia Northman was recently widowed after the tragic death of her wife, Sophia. Now, in present-day Chicago, she’s a single mother raising a son, Ben, who has autism. Since Sophia’s death, Olivia’s existence is often dictated by Ben’s fifth grade schedule; for instance, when her caller ID flashes the name of Ben’s school, she can “guess the problem from the time. Tuesday at 11:13? Gym class.” She also struggles with her own grief, which she carries with her like a “snake of pressure coiled around her sternum.” A chance encounter with Ellie Vasquez, a new occupational therapist at Ben’s therapy center (who, Olivia notes, has dark, sparkling eyes and a dimple that appears “like an apostrophe over the right corner of her mouth”), triggers a spark of romantic interest, but Olivia is reticent, as she can’t fathom getting involved with anyone new. But days later, memories of their contact “consume” her. Soon, they begin a relationship, which also leads to Ellie’s integration into Ben’s everyday life; however, Olivia finds that her feelings for Ellie sit uneasily beside memories of Sophia. Over the course of this novel, Terpstra’s prose is strong and evocative, weaving together vivid and poetic images that offer insight into Olivia’s feelings, as when she describes her surroundings: “low, brooding clouds and air so sharp it tasted of chrome.” Her descriptions of the intense and passionate intimate encounters between Ellie and Olivia are forthright and positive (“they kissed with a desperate possessiveness, grinding their open mouths together”) and may leave readers waiting for Terpstra’s next novel with bated breath.
A passionate and emotionally raw novel of grieving and finding renewal.
