Leave Me by Gayle Forman

An irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head on and asks, what happens when a grown woman runs away from home?

Every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, and every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention - meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who's so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart attack.

Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we're going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves.

With bighearted characters - husbands, wives, friends, and lovers - who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we're all running from.

343 pages (September 2016)

 

Book Page at BookBrowse.

Lit Guide from LitLovers.

Reading Guide from BookMovement.

Reading Guide from ReadingGroupChoices.

 

To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)

 

Leave Me at goodreads

 

Review from BookPage

Review at Foreword Reviews

Review from Kirkus Reviews

Review from Publishers Weekly

Review at Theresa Smith Writes

 

Author Website

Book Trailer (from New Albany-Floyd County Public Library):

This title is available for download as an eBook and as an eAudioBook. Learn more about downloadables from the library here.

Title Read-alikes: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler; Marriage Vacation by Pauline Brooks; Lulu Anew by Etienne Davodeau; The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms; The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton; Grown-up Pose by Sonya Lalli; Escape by Barbara Delinsky; First Comes Love by Emily Giffin; and Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center.