Inheriting Edith

by Zoe Fishman

Overview

A poignant breakout novel, for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan and Elin Hilderbrand, about a single mother who inherits a beautiful beach house with a caveat—she must take care of the ornery elderly woman who lives in it.

For years, Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance. A house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: The deceased’s eighty-two-year old mother Edith.

Edith has Alzheimer’s—or so the doctors tell her—but she remembers exactly how her daughter Liza could light up a room, or bring dark clouds in her wake. And now Liza’s gone, by her own hand, and Edith has been left—like a chaise or strand of pearls—to a poorly dressed young woman with a toddler in tow.

Maggie and Edith are both certain this arrangement will be an utter disaster. But as summer days wane, a tenuous bond forms, and Edith, who feels the urgency of her diagnosis, shares a secret that she’s held close for five decades, launching Maggie on a mission that might just lead them each to what they are looking for.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062378743
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	397,109
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Zoe Fishman is the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year. She is the bestselling author of five previous novels and several awards including Booklist’s “Top 10 Books of the Year” and an IndieNext Pick. 

She’s been featured on “City Lights” with Lois Reitzes, and in Publisher’s Weekly and The Atlanta Jewish Times among others. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Modern Loss.  

Zoe was the Director of The Decatur Writers Studio and a visiting writer at SCAD Atlanta. She lives in Decatur with her two sons.

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2016
When housekeeper and single mother Maggie Sheets inherits a house in present day Sag Harbor, N.Y., from her former friend Liza, a famous author, she must decide whether moving in is worth the price of what comes with the bequest: Liza’s 82-year-old mother, Edith. Edith is struggling to deal with her daughter’s death along with increasing symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and she must begrudgingly rely on Maggie in more ways than one. As Maggie and Edith’s relationship develops, Maggie offers to write down Edith’s memories before it’s too late. As secrets are revealed, both women confront issues they thought they had left behind. Fishman (Saving Ruth) combines relatable circumstances and delightful dialogue in this character-driven tale about forgiveness and acceptance, making it a quick read that’s hard to put down. Curmudgeonly yet lovable Edith is a snappy force to be reckoned with, and she demonstrates that even when things don’t go as planned, challenges are not necessarily bad, and a good life can be forged out of bleak situations. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Zoe Fishman’s INHERITING EDITH is a tragicomic delight, pairing single mother and professional house cleaner Maggie with prickly, resentful, 82-year-old Edith, thrown together in a Sag Harbor beach house after Edith’s famous author daughter Liza takes her own life—and bequeaths the house and her mother to Maggie, her former friend and employee. Fishman deftly explores the intricate territory of mother-daughter relationships as well as the haunting specter of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis for famously independent Edith. Throw in winsome toddler Lucy, the hilarious meddling of best friend/yenta Esther, and an intriguing potential suitor in the form of a local toy store owner, and you have a delicious literary chicken soup for the soul.” — Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of THE WEEKENDERS

“A beautifully crafted story about second chances and life’s big surprises. Warm spirited and emotionally rich, INHERITING EDITH celebrates the fine line between friendship and family. These characters will tug at your heart.” — Jamie Brenner, author of The Wedding Sisters

“A heartbreaking story about life, love, and friendship that you’ll want to devour in one sitting.” — Erin Duffy, author of BOND GIRL and LOST ALONG THE WAY

From the Publisher

Zoe Fishman’s INHERITING EDITH is a tragicomic delight, pairing single mother and professional house cleaner Maggie with prickly, resentful, 82-year-old Edith, thrown together in a Sag Harbor beach house after Edith’s famous author daughter Liza takes her own life—and bequeaths the house and her mother to Maggie, her former friend and employee. Fishman deftly explores the intricate territory of mother-daughter relationships as well as the haunting specter of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis for famously independent Edith. Throw in winsome toddler Lucy, the hilarious meddling of best friend/yenta Esther, and an intriguing potential suitor in the form of a local toy store owner, and you have a delicious literary chicken soup for the soul.

Mary Kay Andrews

A beautifully crafted story about second chances and life’s big surprises. Warm spirited and emotionally rich, INHERITING EDITH celebrates the fine line between friendship and family. These characters will tug at your heart.

Jamie Brenner

A heartbreaking story about life, love, and friendship that you’ll want to devour in one sitting.

Erin Duffy

09/15/2016
Odder things are likely to happen, but inheriting a house in Sag Harbor, NY, is probably close to the top of the list, at least to house cleaner Maggie Sheets. She knew author Liza Brennan, but the two hadn't been in touch for years, and now Liza is dead, having committed suicide. The gift comes with strings—or, rather, one big string: Liza's 82-year-old mother, Edith, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, lives there, too. A single mom with a toddler daughter, Maggie wouldn't have to work anymore, though housecleaning is how she met her benefactor in the first place. Yet Liza's death hangs over the residence, and the past doesn't offer much solace—or many answers. This quirky tale from Fishman (Driving Lessons) drops readers into the middle of a most unconventional situation and lets them flounder along with the characters, who are by turns outspoken, impatient, grumpy, and thoroughly at a loss. Maggie and Edith discover a shared bond and decide, perhaps grudgingly, that it's never too late to fix one's mistakes. VERDICT Recommended for fans of domestic fiction with a twist.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

Library Journal