A short listen, a short read, but a heavy story. Shannon the main character has issues. She’s hooked on heroin, she’s a thief but she assures that she doesn’t steal from anyone she knows (that makes it o.k., Shannon? I don’t think so.). Her druggie past has severed her relationship with her parents. After her fifth time in rehab they tell her basically they are done that they are getting rid of her stuff, don’t come back home the only thing of yours still here is the dress we will bury you in. Sound of door slamming on her past. She struggles to get by but does have the moxy to get a job at a publishers where she sends out the letters telling would be published authors they have not been accepted by that publisher. She also submits her own writing to various publications and makes enough on the bits and pieces and slamming photos of celebrities (them out of makeup, them on a drinking binge, them after having gained weight, etc.) she comes up with to be able to barely scrape by. (Hence the stealing – usually food.) Through a strange twist of fate – a new cellphone offers a redeeming opportunity. Her past, present and future collide like a 40 foot wave hitting the shore. Interesting how angels show up in one’s life and sometimes we can be angels unaware. It might take a second read to get it all there is so much here. I re-read it or relistened as it were, 3 times to really decide what was real and what may have been illusory. A different walk in Jennifer Weiner’s writing. No sunny story here but worth the listen.
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