The Breakdown Lane
Author(s): Jacquelyn Mitchard
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean and Twelve Times Blessed comes a novel of the breakdown of a family and of healing after a loss
Giving advice is what Julianne Ambrose Gillis does for a living—every Sunday she doles it out to clueless people she doesn’t know, in a column in her local Wisconsin paper. But when it comes to her personal life, Julie seems to have no insight whatsoever. She has worked hard to keep her marriage fresh and to be a good mother, so it’s a mystery when Leo, her husband of twenty years, decides to defect from their life together and their three children: Gabe, Caroline and Aury.
In his absence, Julie is diagnosed with a serious illness, which drives her children to undertake a dangerous journey to find Leo—before it’s too late. But what they discover about their father is even more devastating than their mother’s deteriorating health.
As the known world sinks precariously from view and leaves them all adrift, the Gillis clan must navigate their way through the trenches of love, guilt and betrayal, back to solid ground and a new definition of family.
Review(s):
“From our petulant, prideful heroine to her sullen-yet-saintly son, each character’s complexities shine...”
“[Mitchard] takes emotional family events and makes something fresh yet familiar about them...”
“Mitchard’s work...is filled with vivid characters who live out loud, and in vibrant color.”
“THE BREAKDOWN LANE takes the reader on a journey of love and loss, self-discovery and synergy, a satisfying story.
“Mitchard dissects feelings of loyalty, betrayal and guilt with such aplomb, the book moves along like a thriller.”
“[Mitchard’s] tale of an imploding American family will rule the beaches this summer.”
“...An intriguing study of a quintessential American family...[a] thought-provoking, introspective novel.”
“I dare you to read Breakdown Lane and not adore its quirky, all-too-human cast of characters. With her ear for language and artist’s eye for detail, Jackie Mitchard will take you on a journey through loss, hope, and every kind of love there is.”
ISBN: 9780061374524