August 21, 2007

A Bloom of One’s Own

“Away,” by Amy Bloom

Your idea of tragedy? When your Ladro crush forgets the “non” part of your nonfat, triple-shot, no-foam, 180-degree latte.

Not to make you lose steam, but you’ve got nothing on Lillian Leyb, the adversity-ridden young heroine of Amy Bloom’s unflinching new novel, Away.

After losing her parents, husband, and daughter in a gruesome massacre, Lillian flees Russia for America. Her shameless tenacity attracts the handsome and talented (and closeted) Meyer, who sets her up as his mistress. But it’s his lewd father, Reuben, who comes to her bed at night.

When Lillian discovers her daughter might still be alive, she sets off on a journey that takes her from the slums of Seattle to a women’s prison to the treacherous Yukon wilderness.

Told in Bloom’s trademark heartbreakingly beautiful language, it’s an intimate portrayal of love, loss, and redemption.

And it’s anything but frothy.

Available online at amazon.com or your local bookstore.