The Thing About Alice

For decades Alice Otto has known every squatter and dweller on Elizabeth Street, and on most days she remembers their names—every Bart, Lila, Gerty, Michael, and Steve. Bart has written a book, stories about all of them, and Lila, long married, has moved overseas. Gerty is dead, Michael never left, and for a decade nobody has heard a thing from Steve.

When Steve unexpectedly returns to Elizabeth Street, Alice takes great comfort in the fact, and as their bond deepens very little stands in t...