Bomber's Moon. All the people hunkered down inside their houses, the blackout curtains drawn tightly, even while the sky is as light as day. What defense can ever be offered against the whims, the regularities and irregularities of nature?
Helen sits up. She feels a rush of longing so strong it is almost like nausea, and she keeps still for a moment, then slides her feet into her slippers and pulls on the robe she left lying across the bottom of the bed. She creeps into her study and turns her desk light on low, starts up her computer. The black-haired woman moves through the fog. Helen puts her fingers to the keys and begins to follow her. She knows what the woman had for supper: little red potatoes fried in butter, salt, and pepper. She sees her table, set for one: a plate, a glass, a knife, a fork, and a spoon, its little metal bowl reflecting whatever comes down to it, up. It is this image that will shape the way the woman will come into the bookstore, the way she will unknot her scarf and slide out of her coat, then begin walking the aisles, searching for something she is bound to find.
acknowledgments
I owe an enormous debt to a few people who saw the value of this book early on, when I couldn't. Thanks to Barbara Ascher, who told me about the metaphysical pleasures of sailing, and then referred me to William Steig's children's book Amos & Boris, so a mouse could tell me about it, too—and so succinctly! Phyllis Florin put in her two cents' worth, and her two cents are worth a million bucks. Cindy Kline read the entire manuscript in what seemed like five minutes and said, “What's the problem?” Judy Markey told me the ending gave her goose bumps. Jessica Tread-way said, “I would publish this proudly,” and Jessica Treadway is a formidable talent. She also made specific suggestions that made the book blossom. Marianne Quasha told me all about tree houses and handkerchief linen and reminded me, as she always does, to keep the big picture in mind. She also told me she liked to put crayons up her nose and smell them, which made that day. My agent, Suzanne Gluck, makes me feel truly understood and appreciated, and my editor, Kate Medina, gets an A+ in knowing the best way to arrange pages and nurture writers. My writers' group offered wise and honest criticism, as always: yet another round of thanks to Veronica Chapa, Pam Todd, and Michele Weldon. I owe the biggest thanks of all to my daughter, Julie Krintzman, who planted the seed for this novel. When I was complaining that I felt like I couldn't write, she said, “Why don't you write about that?”
about the author
ELIZABETH BERG is the author of many bestselling novels as well as two works of nonfiction. Open House was an Oprah's Book Club selection, Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for an Abby Award. Her bestsellers also include The Year of Pleasures, The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, and Dream When You're Feeling Blue. Berg has been honored by both the Boston Public Library and the Chicago Public Library and is a popular speaker at venues around the country. She lives near Chicago.
Home Safe is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Elizabeth Berg
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House
Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Berg, Elizabeth.
Home safe: a novel / Elizabeth Berg.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-1-58836-852-2
1. Widows—Fiction. 2. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 3. Parent and adult
child—Fiction. 4. Psychological fiction. 5. Domestic fiction. I. Title.
PS3552.E6996H66 2009
813′.54—dc22 2008049247
www.atrandom.com
v3.0
Elizabeth Berg, Home Safe
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends