"This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending," writes Elizabeth McCracken in her powerful, inspiring memoir. A prize-winning, successful novelist in her 30s, McCracken was happy to be an itinerant writer ...

Peggy Court is the librarian in a small Massachusetts town. James Sweatt is a boy who grows--and grows and grows. After James’s mother commits suicide, Peggy assumes a protective role towards the boy, breaking out of the misanth...

As a teenager, Mose Sharp goes into vaudeville after the death of his sister. He takes up with Rocky Carter, and as Carter and Sharp they find fame and fortune as comedians on the circuit. McCracken's novel explores not only the compl...

WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NEWSDAYNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYThe Washington Post • San Francisco Chronicle • O: The Opra...