Editorial Content for Wish You Were Here
Book
Teaser
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.
About the Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by 30, done having kids by 35, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos --- days before her 30th birthday. Right on time.
But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.
Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.
In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices and herself --- and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.
RGG Speed Dating November 2021 Event
November 20, 2021
This month, my book group read THE SOUND OF GRAVEL by Ruth Wariner, which was published in 2016. We have been reading recently published books, but one of the group members had read it and loved it. I read it when it first came out, so I was interested to see how the group would react to it.
First, everyone who gathered with us around the fire outside at Julia’s beautifully decorated patio had finished it and loved it. Bravo! Even one member who was not able to attend sent us a note that she loved it. Not only did we have an in-depth conversation, Julia had done a deep dive onto Ruth’s website and shared some follow-up information on the family. And we talked about the terrible shooting in 2019 that killed members of Ruth’s extended LeBaron family in Mexico when it is believed they were attacked by drug gangs. I loved how we darted from one topic to the next, completely engaged with the book. We also did comparisons to Tara Westover's memoir, EDUCATED. I think it was one of our best discussions.
