Wallflowers

"From windswept Pacific beaches to the inner reaches of the human heart, Wallflower is a shimmering and often surprising journey of discovery, with many unexpected turns along the way. Robertson has created a cast of unique and wholly engaging characters. Here there are swindlers and innocents, unlikely heroes and gritty survivors; they teach us how to trap humming birds, relinquish dreams gracefully, and feed raccoons without getting bitten. 'Wish you were here's' letters on a road trip parallel a woman's painful trip into her family's dysfunctional past; reminiscences of a beloved sibling are inextricably bound up with calamity ... and roommate problems lead to a surprising (and skin-crawling) revelation. Robertson smashes stereotypes even as she shows us remarkable new ways of experiencing the world, and of relating to our fellow human beings."--