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Published Nov 2020
336 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
A quirky, nervous wreck of a New England mom is forced to face her many fears in this touching, irresistible novel from author Kristin Bair.
Agatha Arch's life shatters when she discovers her husband in their backyard shed, in flagrante delicto, giving the local dog walker some heavy petting. Suddenly, Agatha finds herself face to face with everything that frightens her...and that's a loooooong list.
Agatha keeps those she loves close. Everyone else, she keeps as far away as possible. So she's a mystery to nearly everyone in her New England town. To her husband, she's a saucy, no-B.S. writer. To her Facebook Moms group, she's a provocateur. To her neighbor, she's a standoffish pain in the butt. To her sons, she's chocolate pudding with marshmallows. And to her shrink, she's a bundle of nerves on the brink of a cataclysmic implosion.
Defying her abundant assortment of anxieties, Agatha dons her "spy pants"--a pair of khakis whose many pockets she crams with binoculars, fishing line, scissors, flashlight, a Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD, candy, and other espionage essentials--and sets out to spy on her husband and the dog walker. Along the way, she finds another intriguing target to follow: a mysterious young woman who's panhandling on the busiest street in town.
It's all a bit much for timorous Agatha. But with the help of her Bear Grylls bobblehead, a trio of goats, and a dog named Balderdash, Agatha may just find the courage to build a better life.
"Bair's charming latest centers on an endearing, anxious woman who takes up spying on her neighborhood...Agatha will draw readers in with her wry takes...Fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Elinor Oliphant Is Fine will love this clever romp." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Readers of Laurie Gelman and Abbi Waxman who enjoy irreverent moms...will enjoy the ride." - Booklist
"A singular and relatable story that's ideal for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Kristin Bair is a fresh new voice in women's fiction." - Ann Garvin, USA Today Bestselling author of I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around
"Hilarious and heartbreaking, fresh and wise, and quirky as can be. The talented Kristin Bair introduces us to the touchingly neurotic Agatha Arch—a woman who loves too much and fears too much, and is on the hunt to discover her own singular power. If you love Bridget and Bernadette, please meet Agatha. I loved her, and you will, too." - Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling author of The First to Lie
"If you were a fan of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, you're going to love Agatha Arch. From the very first page, her voice is a breath of fresh air, fears and all: Even as she reels from life-altering betrayal, our unlikely heroine had me laughing, cheering her on, and hanging on her every word. A highly satisfying read, sure to be one of my favorites of the year." - Jessica Strawser, bestselling author of Not That I Could Tell
"[A] sprightly read as refreshing, necessary, and delicious as summer lemonade." - Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You
This information about Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kristin Bair is the author of the novels The Art of Floating and Thirsty, as well as essays about China, bears, adoption, off-the-plot expats, and more. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals, including The Manifest-Station, The Gettysburg Review, Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment, The Christian Science Monitor, Poets & Writers Magazine, Writer's Digest, and other publications. As a writing instructor, her peripatetic nature has landed her in classrooms and conferences around the world. A native Pittsburgher, Kristin now lives north of Boston with her husband and two kiddos.
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