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“[A] funny, winning debut.”—People
“Delightfully quirky and endearing…an absolute pleasure to read!”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin
Meet Duffy, an old curmudgeon who lives in an assisted living home.
Meet Josie, a desperate young woman who climbs through his window.
Together, they’re going to learn it’s never too late—or too early—to change your ways.
For Duffy Sinclair, life boils down to one simple thing: maintaining his residence at the idyllic Centennial Assisted Living. Without it, he’s destined for the roach-infested nursing home down the road—and after wasting the first eighty-eight years of his life, he refuses to waste away for the rest. So, he keeps his shenanigans to the bare minimum with the help of his straight-laced best friend and roommate, Carl Upton.
But when Carl’s granddaughter Josie climbs through their bedroom window with booze on her breath and a black eye, Duffy’s faced with trouble that’s sticking around and hard to hide—from Centennial’s management and Josie’s toxic boyfriend. Before he knows it, he’s running a covert operation that includes hitchhiking and barhopping.
He might as well write himself a one-way ticket to the nursing home…or the morgue. Yet Duffy’s all in. Because thanks to an unlikely friendship that becomes fast family—his life doesn’t boil down the same anymore. Not when he finally has a chance to leave a legacy.
In a funny, insightful, and life-affirming debut, Brooke Fossey delivers an unflinching look at growing old, living large, and loving big, as told by a wise-cracking man who didn’t see any of it coming.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 14, 2020 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593165577
- File size: 305173 KB
- Duration: 10:35:46
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from February 24, 2020
In Fossey’s delightful debut, an elderly man finds a new lease on life after a surprise visit from his nursing home roommate’s granddaughter. Duffy Sinclair is leading a placid life in Everton, Tex., when Josie, his roommate Carl Upton’s previously unmentioned granddaughter, bursts into their room through a window, drunk and looking for a place to crash. Reeling from the recent death of her mother—Carl’s love child—and running from her abusive live-in boyfriend, Josie, an alcoholic, has nowhere else to go. The two men’s efforts to keep Josie’s presence in their room on the down low (and keep Josie’s abusive ex at bay) make for a sparkling, well-plotted treat. Duffy, a recovering alcoholic, grows invested in Josie’s well-being along with his own, while Carl mourns his stillborn son. The avaricious owner of the nursing home plays the villain, overcharging guests for repairs and sending those with signs of infirmity to a far grimmer home, while a sympathetic chef looks out for Duffy, Carl, and Josie. Fossey’s portrayal of Josie’s alcohol addiction and her efforts to recover draw sympathy, along with Duffy’s hard-won, sometimes white-knuckle sobriety. A completely logical yet somehow unexpected ending will leave readers smiling—and looking forward to Fossey’s next effort.
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