Jessica Brilliant Keener with Alex George: Evening Begins the Day

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After she discovers her husband's infidelity, Rachel Cohen, reeling from hurt and shame, escapes to a rental house in the idyllic town of Woodbury, near Boston. She winds up next door to her colleague Cynthia Meyer, who-unlike Rachel-seems to have everything in this town where parents are high achievers, children excel, and problems are sealed inside well-tended houses. Cynthia's a successful VP in corporate giving, who helped fund Rachel's latest environmental project for elementary kids. Cynthia's husband is a pioneering researcher in breakthrough cancer treatments. Their only child, Lauren, is set to graduate high school in the spring.

Pretenses shatter the day an ambulance pulls up in front of the Meyers' house and Rachel watches helplessly as Lauren is carried away on a stretcher. Amid their turmoil, Rachel and the Meyers' lives begin to intertwine. When they adopt an ancient spiritual practice called the Counting of the Omer, it leads them down unconventional pathways for answers.

Evening Begins the Day shines a light on the complexity of two families in crisis and their transformation from isolation to community, loneliness to hope and joy.

Jessica Brilliant Keener's novel, Strangers in Budapest, (Algonquin, 2017) was an Indie Next pick, chosen as a "best new novel" by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, Chicago Magazine, and landed on the Southern Independent bestseller list as well as ranking #2 in Jewish Historical Fiction (Amazon).

Her debut novel, Night Swim, was a national bestseller and rose to #9 on Amazon's bestseller list.

Her collection of stories, Women In Bed, was chosen as one of ten winter reads by Shape Magazine; and one of 12 best fall reads by Bettyconfidential.com editors. National Book Circle Critics award winner, Edith Pearlman called Keener "a master of immediacy." Her fiction has been recognized in The Pushcart Prize under "Outstanding Writers," and won Redbook magazine's second prize. Keener is the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist's Grant, a Wesleyan creative writing scholarship, and multiple fellowships in fiction by the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and a fellowship in Women’s Leadership from the Omega Institute in NY. She was a finalist in Breadloaf's Bakeless novel competition. Her feature articles (more than 100) have appeared in The Boston Globe; O, The Oprah Magazine, WBUR's Cognoscenti, Lilith, Design New England, Writer's Digest, and the award-winning anthology, Alone Together, Love, Grief, and Comfort in the time of Covid-19, winner of the Washington State Book Award.

She lives in the Boston, MA area with her husband.

Alex George is a writer, bookseller, lawyer, and founder of the Unbound Book Festival. His novels include A Good American, Setting Free The Kites, and The Paris Hours.

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!

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