I loved Ellen Meister's debut, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA and I'm really looking forward to her next book. Sadly, it's going to be a while. The Smart One is due out in August 2008. It sounds fantastic though, listen (or, rather, read):
Inspired by the true story of a bizarre Long Island murder, The Smart One is the story of three sisters, all living very different lives. Bev, always considered the smart one, is divorced, unemployed, and has left behind her artistic ambitions to pursue a career as a school teacher. She knows she hasn't lived up to her family's expectations, and struggles with facing their disappointment that the promise of her bright future never materialized.
Clare, the pretty one, married well and is living the life of the
perfect suburban housewife and mother. Joey, the wild one, has
successfully completed rehab, which is enough to impress everyone,
despite the fact that her fifteen minutes of fame as the lead singer
for one-hit rock band has long-since fizzled.
Like most sisters, Bev, Clare and Joey have never fully resolved the
old slights and jealousies from years gone by. But they aren't the only
ones with issues from the past. They're shocked to discover their
next-door-neighbor, Sam Waxman, has his own skeleton in the closet or,
more accurately, in the industrial drum hidden beneath his house. And
when Bev and her sisters open the lid and see a human hand, the journey
to revealing the secrets of their owns lives begins.
Okay, that sounds even better than Ellen Meister's first book. Roll on August 2008 (yep, that's me, wishing my life away for a book).
