The teacher's daughter

Jan Harper, 36, lives in the basement of her mother’s suburban home. A high-school English teacher, Jan worries that she’s on the brink of wear-ing heavy walking shoes and retreating farther into her single, somewhat solitary existence. She’s just come off a failed affair with a married man, discovering she wasn’t the first mistress in his life. She’s slightly jealous of her friend Max, who’s always been “a little too flighty,” according to Jan’s mother. And the only prospect for a relationship comes colored in the dull gray form of Bruce, a fellow teacher. So it’s a complete surprise to Jan when a darkly handsome man insists on stepping into her tidy suburban world. James is younger, unemployed, has a prison record and a passion for his Trans-Am— complete with fuzzy dice. He also has a passion for Jan, although Jan has seri-ous doubts about a future with him. There’s something about James that both charms and repels her—an unpredictability that’s about to shatter both of their lives. Once again, Richard B. Wright has shown that he is the master of brilliantly realized characters and evocative story-telling that shines in the details. This is a novel of collision, Jan from her sterile middle-class world and James from his seedy shadow one, both searching for love and wholeness. Richard B. Wright fans will not be disappointed.