Shelter Me - by Juliette Fay (Paperback)

About the Book

In the tradition of Marisa de los Santos and Anne Tyler comes a moving debut about a young mother's year of heartbreak, loss, and forgiveness--and help that arrives from unexpected sources.

From the Back Cover

In the tradition of Marisa de los Santos and Anne Tyler comes a moving debut about a young mother's year of heartbreak, loss, and forgiveness...and help that arrives from unexpected sources

Four months after her husband's death, Janie LaMarche remains undone by grief and anger. Her mourning is disrupted, however, by the unexpected arrival of a builder with a contract to add a porch onto her house. Stunned, Janie realizes the porch was meant to be a surprise from her husband--now his last gift to her.

As she reluctantly allows construction to begin, Janie clings to the familiar outposts of her sorrow--mothering her two small children with fierce protectiveness, avoiding friends and family, and stewing in a rage she can't release. Yet Janie's self-imposed isolation is breached by a cast of unlikely interventionists: her chattering, ipecac-toting aunt; her bossy, over-manicured neighbor; her muffin-bearing cousin; and even Tug, the contractor with a private grief all his own.

As the porch takes shape, Janie discovers that the unknowable terrain of the future is best navigated with the help of others--even those we least expect to call on, much less learn to love.

Review Quotes

"Shelter Me is the tender tale of Janie LaMarche, a young woman who is suddenly widowed and forced to find her way. She is guided by a searing wit, by her truth-telling five year old son, and by the unlikely sages of her suburban world. Juliette Fay can hit the high notes of emotion with unexpected moments of redemption and wry humor." - Jacqueline Sheehan, author of Lost & Found
"Shelter Me is a richly told story that offers a keyhole into the pain and searing grief losing a loved one brings to a family. That pain is balanced against humor and the need to care-take life's day to day demands and relationships until one day, you realize you have the capability to love again. Fay writes with vivid dialogue and conjures up characters that feel real enough to be sitting in your kitchen." - Lee Woodruff, author of In An Instant
"What a gorgeous paradox of a book: a deep, thoughtful exploration of a young mother's first year of widowhood that is as much a page-turner as any thriller. The translucent beauty of the writing and the sheer humanity of the characters pulled me along, often more quickly than I wanted to go. If it were up to me, I'd still be in the company of prickly, magnificent Janie and the people she loves." - Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Belong To Me