Synopsis of Novel

The Road from La Cueva

Synopsis

Ana Hoffman lives her life on a mountain road treacherous as quicksand. She maneuvers through a marriage just as bad. Her saving graces are her daughter Emmy, her friend and neighbor Margaret, and by Michael, a fellow hospital worker and potter, who shows her that she doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved.

She begins to think about the path that led her to Frank, her husband, and her largely unfulfilled life. She lets herself fall in love with Michael, knowing as she does that she is playing with fire. She feels more trapped than ever in the house Frank has built for her, on the road filled with potholes and boulders and neighbors who always seem to be angry. But Ana cannot bring herself to leave the marriage. Like the road, her life seems to be a quicksand that she can’t get out of. She’s afraid of Frank, never knowing what he’ll do if she leaves. So she puts off the decision, stalling for time. Though Michael loves her too and offers her an escape, she becomes more and more obsessed with Frank’s capacity for rage. And while she is spending stolen time with Michael, she is drifting away from Emmy and Margaret, from the other anchors that have kept her centered.

Like Ana, Emmy too begins to ‘play with fire’, though in her case it is literal. Ana misses the signs that her daughter is getting out of control, that attention is needed. At this point, Margaret has taken on the role of mother, caring for Emmy during Ana’s clandestine meetings with Michael. She is more in tune with the dangers inherent in Ana’s neglect. She is the one to catch Emmy and save her from a fire started at a neighbor’s house, the one to give her back to Ana, miraculously, alive.

Ana understands she is at fault for this near miss with tragedy. But just as she considers what action to take, Michael breaks off their relationship. At the same time, she realizes that Margaret is very ill – that she’s missed the signs there as well, and has not been a good friend. She starts to pay attention, to Margaret, to Emmy, and to herself. She begins to confront her own choices and mistakes, starting to understand the options remaining and the danger of ignoring them. For the first time, she finds the courage to confront Frank, and tells him the truth—that she intends to leave. Frank is enraged but lets her go, and Ana is surprised at how she has allowed her own fear to paralyze her—at how much hidden strength she really has.

Margaret also begins to change, opening up, sharing her stories of a lost love and child, of loneliness and redemption. Ana listens, bearing witness to Margaret’s story, seeing her through the last days of a devastating illness. Margaret teaches Ana lessons, helping her to understand that her mistakes have been profound, yet human and forgivable, that love is the only option in the face of death. Ana learns these lessons, slowly, but well. She reaches back to Emmy, and to Michael, and this time, doesn’t stop reaching. Margaret dies, and in her death Ana learns there is no ending—just a continued journey, up a road that’s difficult, yet heartbreakingly beautiful.

The Road From La Cueva

This is a new blog for my novel, The Road From La Cueva. I'll post notes about the marketing 'journey' over the next few months, as the book is released, book signings get scheduled, etc. In the meantime, post any questions and I'll try to answer!