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by Brooke Fossey
In a funny, insightful, and life-affirming debut, Brooke Fossey delivers an unflinching look at growing old, living large, and loving big, as told by a wise-cracking man who didn't see any of it coming.
Meet Duffy, an old curmudgeon who lives in an assisted living home.
Meet Josie, a desperate young woman who climbs through his window.
Together, they're going to learn it's never too late—or too early—to change your ways.
For Duffy Sinclair, life boils down to one simple thing: maintaining his residence at the idyllic Centennial Assisted Living. Without it, he's destined for the roach-infested nursing home down the road—and after wasting the first eighty-eight years of his life, he refuses to waste away for the rest. So, he keeps his shenanigans to the bare minimum with the help of his straight-laced best friend and roommate, Carl Upton.
But when Carl's granddaughter Josie climbs through their bedroom window with booze on her breath and a black eye, Duffy's faced with trouble that's sticking around and hard to hide—from Centennial's management and Josie's toxic boyfriend. Before he knows it, he's running a covert operation that includes hitchhiking and barhopping.
He might as well write himself a one-way ticket to the nursing home…or the morgue. Yet Duffy's all in. Because thanks to an unlikely friendship that becomes fast family—his life doesn't boil down the same anymore. Not when he finally has a chance to leave a legacy.
"In Fossey's delightful debut, an elderly man finds a new lease on life after a surprise visit from his nursing home roommate's granddaughter. A completely logical yet somehow unexpected ending will leave readers smiling—and looking forward to Fossey's next effort." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fossey manages to depict the struggles of the elderly, whose concerns aren't often examined in fiction, in a way that's both respectful and entertaining. A moving, funny, and ultimately hopeful look at what makes life meaningful." - Kirkus Reviews
"Fans of Kathleen Rooney's Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will appreciate this delightful romp. Fossey's debut is destined to become a book club favorite." - Library Journal
"Fossey's debut is a warm and deeply funny look at the lives of two seniors who learn it is never too late to grow old with style. Filled with rich, pitch-perfect dialogue, this is a sweet story of people finding meaning and creating family in the places they least expected." - Booklist
This information about The Big Finish 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.
Brooke Fossey was once an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance before she traded it all in for motherhood and writing. She's a past president and an honorary lifetime member of DFW Writers Workshop. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including Ruminate Magazine and SmokeLong Quarterly. When she's not writing, you can find her in Dallas, Texas with her husband, four kids, and their dog Rufus. She still occasionally does math.
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