I read this at the insistence of Holland Saltsman from The Novel Neighbor, who called it one of her favorites. The young protagonist reminded me of Scout Finch; the story's tone reminded me of Special Topics in Calamity Physics. The publisher calls this debut "a darkly comic novel about a young girl named Elvis trying to figure out her place in a world without her mother."

This contemporary fiction includes wild game, complex family relationships, and an interesting narrator experiencing the highs and lows of life. Annie Hartnett is a master at combining the heavy with the light. There are serious topics: dementia, depression, death, abduction, and the opioid crisis affecting New Hampshire where this is set. But it’s light tone overall. Hartnett said she was raised to find humor in difficult or dark situations and that’s the case here.

Hartnett’s gift is to nestle genuine humor right alongside life’s most terrible tragedies. Here she again balances joy and tragedy, combining the comedy of a screwball road trip with a serious meditation on loss, grief, healing, and second chances. Along for the ride are a 63-year-old named P.J. who has an ailing heart and a drinking problem, his estranged 23-year-old daughter, his brother’s recently orphaned grandkids, and Pancakes, a tabby cat with unusual powers. They’re on a mission to reunite with P.J.’s old flame at Arizona’s Tender Hearts nursing home. This madcap ride manages to feel hopeful and heartwarming despite its sad subject matter.