Fifteen years ago, PJ Halliday’s daughter drowned on her prom night. Since then, he has found himself divorced from his wife, barely speaking to his younger daughter, living alone in his former family home, now filling up with things he can’t bear to throw away. He spends his mornings walking to his ex-wife’s house for breakfast with her and her new boyfriend and his nights (and days, and afternoons) at the local bar. He is also a million dollar lottery winner, and is about to inherit his estranged brother’s grandchildren after their parents murder-suicide, as well as a former nursing home cat who can see who is about to die next. In the middle of all of this, PJ reads an obituary for his high school lost love’s husband, and decides to drive to Arizona to win her heart for good. This is a dark comedy (at times both very dark and very funny) road trip novel with so much heart it nearly leaks off the page. Author Annie Hartnett says that she wrote this book to encapsulate every fear and worry she had ever felt, while challenging herself to make it as funny as possible. She has certainly succeeded, and I would say The Road to Tender Hearts is her best title yet. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wish, unlike the Halliday’s family road trip, that it could go on forever.
-Hannah, Program and Outreach Manager
