What a surprise this audiobook was! When I first read about it—a middle-aged woman navigates the dating world during the second Civil War—I was intrigued. 2nd Civil War? Dating during a dystopia? How will debut author Grillo make this all work?

Thankfully, she DOES make it work, & she does so with caustic humor & delicate heart. Hestia is a 42-year-old writer who lives in Baltimore, part of a politically purple state that’s part of the Union. Yes, America is in the midst of a second Civil War and a handful of states, mostly in the south, have seceded and formed the Confederated States. The world Grillo creates is our current divisive country on steroids (but, sadly, not too unfathomable). Hestia’s own adoptive parents, college professors who put academics over love, have moved to the CS, sympathizing with their cause. Hestia’s husband has done the opposite, disappearing for two years after her left to join a Union paramilitary group.

Amidst this turmoil, we have Hestia dating and conducting writing workshops for elderly residents in a senior facility. She’s not one of those “look at me grab life and make myself known” type of heroines. She’s ordinary. At first this bothered me, but when I realized the point, I was all-in. She behaves as most would in this situation...finding love and connection in a world that’s dangerous and lacking humanity. Her close bond with Mildred, a senior at the center, spotlights this overarching theme: What WILL you hold in your heart as you shuffle off this mortal coil? Politics? Resentment? Or will you, as Mildred does and Hestia learns to do, embrace the love, joys, and connections that create the core of being human?

This novel has a subtle heart beating beneath its flashy alternate reality. It’s clever, heartfelt, and funny. I loved it.