October 30, 2017
Bunn returns to the coastal town of Miramar Bay, Calif., the setting of 2016’s Miramar Bay, in this novel rich with rediscovery. In 1969 Miramar, Lucius Quarterfield has a threatening heart condition and leads a solitary existence, but has nevertheless embraced life through his business acumen. Though only 28, Lucius owns 11 car dealerships, yet one of his greatest joys is his relationship with beautiful and outspoken Jessica Waverly, whom he first met when she walked into his dealership to buy a car, and whom he loves too much to ask to stay with him in the short time he has left to live. The story jumps forward to present-day California, where Luke Benoit, a college student and patient of therapist Asha Meisel, is recovering from a suicide attempt. Lucius realizes the unthinkable has happened—he inhabited Luke’s body when Luke attempted suicide. Lucius tries to convince Asha of his revelation, and though she and her mentor, Dino Barbieri, understandably have difficulty believing Lucius’s claims, Asha can’t deny that the Luke she knew has changed. The depressed, lax student whom Asha knew before seems to have completely evolved into a good student with a positive attitude. In Bunn’s emotional novel, readers will be particularly swept away by Lucius’s and Jessica’s love story.