The Breaks: A Novel

By: Ellen Barker

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Synopsis: A contemporary literary novel about an unlikely friendship between two very different women, The Breaks will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.Waking up in the emergency room with a broken arm is not one of the ways Marianne imagined her first date with Carl, if it is a date, ending up. Nor was driving up to the entrance of a women&’s prison a few weeks later anywhere on her radar. But here she is. At least I&’m on this side of the gate. She picks up newly released Stephanie, as a favor to a nun she barely knows, returns to her East of Troost home, and finds herself immersed in a whole new drama. East of Troost is Marianne&’s childhood neighborhood, downtrodden by decades of redlining and a wide swath of destruction to make way for an expressway. Marianne moves back after a reversal of fortune limits her options. She repairs the house and deals with a couple of &“incidents&”—hence her acquaintance with Officer Carl. Meanwhile, Sister Colette bought the house behind her and is taking in women who, in her words, need to learn to &“just live.&” As Stephanie helps Marianne cope with her broken arm, she gradually comes out of her shell and teaches Marianne a thing or two about just living.

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