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In this remarkable novel, Tod Wodicka, author of All Shall Be Well; and All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well, has crafted a luminous story of a most curious friendship. There's something wrong next door. At least that's what neighbors Howie Jeffries and Emily Phane both think. Since his daughter and wife moved out, Howie has been alone, an accidental recluse content with his fishing and his dreams of someday sailing away from himself on a boat. Emily couldn't be more different: she's irreverent, outgoing, and seemingly well adjusted. But when she returns from college to care for her dying grandfather, Howie can't help but notice her increasingly erratic behavior - not to mention her newfound love of nocturnal gardening. The thing is, although they've lived side by side in the only two houses on Route 29 in rural upstate New York since Emily was born, Howie and Emily have never so much as spoken to each other.



About the Author

Tod Wodicka

Tod Wodicka was born in Glens Falls, New York. He was educated at Manchester University, UK, and he lived in Europe for the last twenty years: England, Prague, Moscow and Berlin. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

His second novel, THE HOUSEHOLD SPIRIT was published by Pantheon and Jonathan Cape in June 2015. The Independent said it is "both unsentimental and strangely moving ... the feelgood factor of The Railway Children and the bitter wit of Sylvia Plath. ... comic, poignant and wholly convincing."

His first novel, ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL has been translated into Spanish, Dutch and German. It was shortlisted for The Believer Book Award. Wodicka's writing has appeared in the Guardian, Granta, Tank Magazine, the National, South as a State of Mind, AnOther Magazine and the New Statesman.



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