It was a good town, a good bar, and he was okay, he said to himself silently, like a prayer. Did it look welcoming? Was it just his imagination or did the light spilling onto the street give the whole façade a faint glow? Yes, he decided as he slid neatly into his parking spot and felt a thrill of hope, of faith, shoot through him for the first time in weeks: in himself, in his town, in these people, in life, in destiny, in following one’s intuition. He tried to imagine himself a stranger, tried to see his place as a stranger would.

He felt a pull of energy, that singular happy chaos that can only be found inside a crowded bar when the music is good, people are running into friends, and the whole place is cozy despite the bone-cold world outside. Something was different about the place tonight. Most businesses had heeded the weather forecast and closed in advance of the coming storm, but when Malcolm approached the traffic light and saw his own squat, brown-shingled building at the bottom of the hill, something lifted in his chest and he leaned over the steering wheel. The night was damp, the sidewalks along the center of town laced with dirty snow that had been refusing to melt for near a week.

Malcolm Gephardt could tell the bar was busy even from a block away, even from behind the filthy windshield of his Honda. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, the complicated intimacy of small-town living, and what it means to be a family. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away and wonders how to reshape her future.Īward-winning author Mary Beth Keane’s new novel takes place over the course of one week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place. After years of trying for a baby, she is facing the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success, but struggles to stay afloat. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place.

Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. “ I adored this compelling, touching, exquisitely crafted story about a marriage in crisis.” -Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Liesįrom the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful novel about a couple in a small town who must navigate the complexities of marriage, family, and longing. Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, BookPage, LitHub and more

Fever by Mary Beth Keane