A sensitive portrait of a vulnerable yet resilient young woman who, with the help of an inner voice and newfound friends, attempts to find her way at the turn-of-the-millennium Manhattan.
For as long as she can remember, Peppa Ryan has been guided by a benevolent voice in her head who she believes is Virginia Woolf. Though she's an exceptionally bright twenty-year-old, she suffers from crippling low self-esteem and has barely left her parents' ramshackle home in Queens, New York. Set at the turn of the millennium, Peppa defies her parents' wishes and ventures out on her own to a job at a Wall Street investment firm. But her parents continue to pull strings, insisting she date a handsome but penniless plumber in the hopes she’ll return to her roots. Peppa plans to immediately dismiss the plumber on their first date, but to her surprise they discover an unlikely bond over a shared love of the novels of Virginia Woolf.
Peppa continues flourish and her confidence grows as those around her recognize and admire her analytical prowess. Then, when her relationship with her parents and the plumber becomes untenable due to a devastating betrayal, Peppa succumbs to her mental fragilities and suffers a collapse. With the help of her kindhearted boss, his eccentric client, and the voice of Virginia, Peppa recovers. And on one crisp and clear autumn morning she considers a path to reconciliation.
For those who loved Where'd You Go, Bernadette, The Remedy for Love, or And Then We Came to The End, this is a sensitive coming-of-age novel of a fragile yet brilliant young woman who, like Virginia Woolf, is determined to carve her unique path in life.
