'How do we reinvent ourselves when we can't even recognize the body we are in? Can you know where you're headed if you don't know where you came from? These are the questions faced by the prickly Maribeth, the complex and fascinating character at the center of Leave Me. An appealing fairy tale for the exhausted and under appreciated.' - Kirkus 'Award-winning teen author Forman's ( I Was Here, 2015, etc.) adult debut nails the frustrations of working motherhood, though the love complications conveniently disappear and the frayed ends of Maribeth's life are retied too easily. 'While it may leave fans of Forman's previous books wanting more, this novel is sure to be in demand and will especially interest adoptees and their families.' - Library Journal 'With humor and pathos, Forman depicts Maribeth's complicated situation and her thoroughly satisfying arc, leaving readers feeling as though they've really accompanied Maribeth on her journey.' - Publishers Weekly Maribeth's search for her birth mother and the way she settles into her new - albeit temporary - life away from home will strike a chord with readers, especially those who enjoy Jennifer Weiner and Meg Wolitzer.' - Booklist Popular teen author Forman's adult debut examines just what it means to be a working mother - beholden to everyone, seemingly obligated to forget who you really are.

With bighearted characters - husbands, wives, friends, and lovers - who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we're all running from. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we're going we see our lives from a different perspective. Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. A harried working mother who's so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart attack. An irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head on and asks, what happens when a grown woman runs away from home?Įvery woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, and every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention - meet Maribeth Klein.

Books by gayle forman