In social satirist Sarah Bird’s seventh novel, Blythe Young is happily immersed in Austin society after she marries Trey Biggs–Dix, naively signing a strict prenuptial agreement insisted upon by her mother-in-law. But when that same mother-in-law lands a better catch for her son 10 years later, Blythe, now 33 and childless, is unceremoniously dumped. Penniless, desperate, but determined, she finds herself taking refuge at Seneca House, the university housing co-op where she lived more than a decade ago. There she encounters her old college roommate, the sweet Millie Ott, one of the many friends Blythe shucked off during a frenzy of social climbing.

Before long, Blythe comes face to face with her past sins and dubious moral choices, and under the unlikely tutelage of Millie, the eternal optimist, she is finally able to discover the path to real happiness. Laced with the heartfelt humor of David Sedaris, this fast-paced and sharply observed tale is a comic triumph of a novel.