Loose in the Bright Fantastic
E. B. Moore
Loose in the Bright Fantastic
Price: $18.00 pbk. Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction 5.5x8.5; 219 p. ISBN: 9781642510478 Find Out More:
"The best books with humor about surviving family and dementia" by E.B. Moore, in Shepard |
Gray-haired Maggie flees the hospital wearing her late husband’s ill-fitting wingtips and an ancient mink over her hospital johnny. She escapes into the familiar comfort of the Boston Public Garden and, as dusk settles, her past and present meld together. She eludes the police and family for days, while revisiting old haunts, from tea at the Ritz to shopping at Goodwill. In Boston’s South End, a homeless man shelters her in his squat, while she searches for her lawyer’s office somewhere overlooking the park.
Maggie’s adult children, Clair and Roger, search frantically for her while also dealing with the final sale of Maggie’s house and the disposal of her belongings—along with their own challenges. Clair is separated from her husband and contending with being a single mother to three active children and managing a house under renovation, full of pet mice and a slobbering dog. Roger, meanwhile, is immersing himself in his charity work with the homeless, avoiding the affections of his long-time best friend Jeremy. Clair’s youngest, five-year-old Hank (aka Major Amazing Man), complicates matters further by setting out on his own to track down his beloved Nana. Presented from the varying points of view of Maggie, Clair, and Hank, each with their own version of events, this is a story of family ties that get stretched under duress but never quite break. Told with compassion and humor, this heartfelt story of aging and resilience, generational challenges, and the power of love will appeal to any reader who has ever been part of a family. About the Author
E. B. Moore is a metal sculptor turned poet and novelist. She grew up in a Pennsylvania fieldstone farmhouse, moved to the Boston area, and finally found a sense of home in a South End townhouse and later a loft in Cambridge. In the middle of raising her family, her mother moved in following unsuccessful brain surgery. The family coped by finding the lighter side of outlandish happenings over the eight years they lived together; these experiences partly served as the basis for writing Loose in the Bright Fantastic. E. B. Moore is also the author of the poetry chapbook New Eden, A Legacy (Finishing Line Press, 2009) and the novels An Unseemly Wife (NAL/Penguin 2014) and Stones in the Road (NAL/Penguin/Random House, 2015). She is the mother of three, the grandmother of five, and currently lives with her partner in Scarborough, Maine. |
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What Advance Readers Are Saying:
"As EB Moore's spirited protagonist hurtles through the city of Boston in her confusion between present and past, we witness her family's desperate search for her and their own painful journey through denial, worry, and regret. With great tenderness, humor, and vibrant prose, Loose in the Bright Fantastic is a wild ride as we follow one woman's search for freedom and autonomy, no matter the mental and physical struggles that bind her."--Michelle Hoover, author of Bottomland
"EB Moore's lyrical prose shines in this beautiful story of aging and memories—those we keep and those that jiggle loose. In Maggie, we find a matriarch both stubborn and tender, determined as ever to do things her own way. Her adventure through Boston is hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful. A fine, satisfying read!"--Juliette Fay, author of Catch Us When We Fall and The Tumbling Turner Sisters
"Moore combines the seemingly impossible—dazzling page-turning prose, soaring creativity, and a merciful eye for the truth. She upends the expected story of a failing mind, gifting us with Maggie, a woman who never gives up her potent core of vibrancy and finds one more magnificent adventure."— Randy Susan Meyers, author of Waisted
"As EB Moore's spirited protagonist hurtles through the city of Boston in her confusion between present and past, we witness her family's desperate search for her and their own painful journey through denial, worry, and regret. With great tenderness, humor, and vibrant prose, Loose in the Bright Fantastic is a wild ride as we follow one woman's search for freedom and autonomy, no matter the mental and physical struggles that bind her."--Michelle Hoover, author of Bottomland
"EB Moore's lyrical prose shines in this beautiful story of aging and memories—those we keep and those that jiggle loose. In Maggie, we find a matriarch both stubborn and tender, determined as ever to do things her own way. Her adventure through Boston is hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful. A fine, satisfying read!"--Juliette Fay, author of Catch Us When We Fall and The Tumbling Turner Sisters
"Moore combines the seemingly impossible—dazzling page-turning prose, soaring creativity, and a merciful eye for the truth. She upends the expected story of a failing mind, gifting us with Maggie, a woman who never gives up her potent core of vibrancy and finds one more magnificent adventure."— Randy Susan Meyers, author of Waisted