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In the tree-nestled Northern California town of Mira Flores, writer Rachel ("an aging typist with an unprofitable hobby" and her Scottish husband Neil prepare dinner for a familiar "crew" of guests - among them Neil's best friend, the burly, handomse Mike Spender, an irrepressible hedonist - and Mike's wife, the troubling Tilda Krall, a hard-bitten figure who carries her dark unknowability like an accusation.
Mike and Tilda have produced an enchanting daughter, Addie - who will also appear, unexpectedly, that night. As they ready the meal, Rae begs Neil to retell her the strange, twisted story of the Spenders - to include Mike's secret life, and what happened once Tilda learned of it. Neil and Rae cannot guess how the shock waves from that story will threaten to destroy their own marriage - after a mysterious catastrophe propels all five individuals into uncharted realities.
Recounting three love stories, Make It Stay explores the vision of an era - and how perception expands, as mortal limits draw near.
"Frank wraps the reader in a cocoon of finely spun images and rich similes that makes one want to return to the beginning of the book just to savor the language all over again. The “heavy sweetness of roses spilling over fences in Popsicle colors” is just one example of the vivid prose that appears on virtually every page. These images don’t distract from the story but enrich it with the help of four fully developed characters. The reader will hope that Neil realizes how lucky he is to have Rachel, that Mike can avoid being hurt too badly by Tilda, and that nothing can ever harm the friendship between Neil and Mike. There comes a moment when everything seems perfect with the foursome, when one of the characters wants that situation to last forever, to “make it stay.” But happily-ever-afters are for fairy tales, and nothing good lasts forever. First-class fiction." - Kirkus
Joan Frank is the author of four prior books of fiction. She is a MacDowell Colony Fellow, Pushcart Prize nominee, winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize, Dana Award, Michigan Literary Fiction Award, Iowa Writing Award and Emrys Fiction Award, and recipient of grants from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation. She has taught Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, and lives in Northern California.
A genuine wonder of a book—a deeply moving reflection on the nature of friendship and love, how past informs present, life’s magnificent interconnectivity. An entire world is here, as Joan Frank deftly weaves a tale that illuminates the lives of her characters, their imperfections and desires revealed in least expected moments. Recognition unfolds into something resembling transformation. A story filled with the stuff of life—nothing less than astonishing.
— Matthew Iribarne, author of Astronauts and Other Stories
A novel in triptych—the love story of Neil and Mike, the best friend who saves his life, and Neil and Rae, the woman who adores him. Gorgeously written.
— Jane Vandenburgh, author of A Pocket History of Sex in the Twentieth Century
Joan Frank is a supple, graceful writer. Make it Stay follows the long sweep of a friendship between two men, and the toll it takes on their families. This novel ponders the mystery of personality—mining our own bewilderment with the actions of friends and lovers. I couldn't put it down.
— Alice Elliott Dark, author of Think of England and In the Gloaming
A beautifully written love story—love between spouses and between friends—for those of us who know that the only story that matters is about the frightening fragility of life.
— Elizabeth Benedict, author of The Joy of Writing Sex; editor of Mentors, Muses & Monsters
Brilliant, moving, and original.
— Jeffrey Levine, author of Rumor of Cortez
Price: $26.00
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