BookBrowse Reviews I Am Agatha by Nancy Foley

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A darkly humorous story set in rural New Mexico about a stubborn artist who cares for a widow with dementia, exploring caregiving, grief, friendship, and secrets, and emphasizing the complexities of family and devotion.

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In Nancy Foley's debut novel, I Am Agatha, we follow Agatha Smithson, a talented, eccentric, and stubborn artist. She left New York in 1967 due to a low period in her life. She was sent to Bellevue after a series of events she doesn't remember, and following her release, a friend referred her for a teaching position at the university in Albuquerque to give her a fresh start: "I took my friend's advice and in the end came back to myself. But while I was at Bellevue my building had been demolished and all the artists evicted. I had no place to live or to work, though that did not bother me as much as everyone imagined, because I did not plan to ever paint again. At that time I had no enthusiasm for any part of life." After a rocky start, she found her footing and began painting again, but a decade later, she left when old feelings resurfaced. "A feeling of regret and sorrow settled inside me … I recognized this smoke: it had been in the air right before Bellevue, and now it had blown back my way."

Having left Albuquerque, she asks a gas station owner if he knows of any land available for lease. He tells her that his wife owns 90 acres at Mesa Portales as part of a family inheritance. He offers her a lifetime lease, which she immediately accepts. While Agatha briefly meets his wife, Alice, after the lease is signed, they don't become friends until two years later, after her husband passes away. Alice is a gentle widow who tragically lost her daughter, Lorna, and tends to her grave in her backyard. Although Agatha presents a tough exterior and resists vulnerability, she unexpectedly falls in love. It takes four years before Alice's dementia begins to worsen, and her son, Frank Jr., wants to sell the land, revoke Agatha's lease, and relocate Alice to a care facility. Agatha prefers that Alice live with her at Mesa Portales, but Alice doesn't want to leave her home where Lorna is buried. When her son comes looking for her, she goes missing. What follows is a battle over who should decide what's best for Alice, mixed with an adventure full of twists involving Agatha's pickup truck, her young neighbor, shovels, and a mission that uncovers the lengths people will go to for the ones we love. I Am Agatha follows a headstrong character over a few unusual days, during which she gains a new perspective on love, death, and herself.

In her author's note, Foley explains that the novel is loosely inspired by a period in the life of Agnes Martin, a well-known abstract painter who, in 1967, stopped painting and moved from New York City to live a hermit's life in New Mexico (see Beyond the Book). Although her friendship with painter Georgia O'Keeffe and her artistic ambition are mentioned, the story mostly uses the setup of Martin's life to craft a new narrative, focusing mainly on Agatha's relationship with Alice in New Mexico.

Agatha is like an onion; as the book unfolds, she slowly peels back her layers, revealing a woman beneath her tough exterior who wants to be appreciated, seen, and cared for, despite her attempts to dismiss those who hurt or disappoint her. One of the important relationships in Agatha's life is with Veronica, a graduate student with whom she developed a mentor-mentee friendship. "She was undeveloped when I met her, but I saw that she had the essential quality. All she lacked was guidance," says Agatha. Veronica did everything on her own since her parents "didn't believe in education, only religion," and thought art history was "a devilish invention." However, when Veronica unexpectedly arrives, we learn they haven't spoken or seen each other in eight months, for reasons unknown, despite their previously close relationship, during which Veronica would spend extended time at Agatha's home. "In fact she was straightforward about our bargain, the terms of which we never discussed yet understood implicitly. I was to be studied and taken notes about, and she was the person to do those things; I could study her in return, enjoy the flame of her beauty and be warmed by it."

As the two are now reunited, Agatha struggles to let Veronica back into her life and trust her again because she felt hurt and abandoned by her absence. Veronica reveals that she disappeared because she went against something Agatha advised her to do, prompting Agatha to reflect on Julien, her first and finest friendship with a young person. "He came to see my paintings and stayed for days, listening to me, and he instinctively recognized that I had superior knowledge in areas that mattered. That at least is how I prefer to remember him. I have often extolled his virtues to Veronica so that she can learn. But it's also true that he later disappointed me, and I must take care to never let Veronica do the same." Agatha is forced to confront the reality that even though she has strong opinions about how others should live their lives, she can't control those she cares about, that what she believes is best may not align with their own desires, and that to keep people in her life, she will need to make peace with them making different decisions than her.

A consistent theme throughout Agatha's relationships is her insistence that she knows best and that others should listen to her. We see this with Veronica and also with Alice. There is an important chapter that shifts from Agatha's perspective—with a letter Alice wrote to Agatha at a moment when she was lucid and fully aware of her life. In the letter, we learn that Alice told Agatha that she disagreed with some of her decisions. Frank Jr. also clashes with Agatha, as he has never liked or approved of Agatha and Alice's relationship and doubts Agatha's intentions. His and Agatha's desire for control persists, and we see how both ultimately face events beyond their control, forcing them to find a resolution that connects them.

The story continues to twist until the very end as we learn the secrets Alice has been keeping even from Agatha and her family about Lorna, and a final realization humbles Agatha. "Lately I had come to understand that the only vision I had was my own and I could not see beyond it. All my life I had believed this to be my greatest strength. But it is humbling to live in this world." Even with the chaotic, at times absurd turns the plot takes, underneath is a sincere sentiment about a woman with strong convictions confronting the idea that love doesn't mean control, learning how to make amends and build deep connections. I Am Agatha honors the spirit of Agnes Martin while offering a fictional examination of an ambitious woman reckoning with her desire for love and connection, and her art.

This review first ran in the April 8, 2026 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.