Five Days

Laura Warren is a radiographic technician in Maine, trained to spot disease in others, but unable to determine the cause of her own sadness in the bumpy 11th novel from Kennedy (The Moment). Laura’s family is unhappy–her husband’s lengthy unemployment has made him angry and resentful; her 19-year-old son, Ben, an artist, is bereft over a failed love affair; and she feels disconnected from her teenaged daughter, Sally. Her own midlife and marital crises are taking a toll on her, and after finding herself uncharacteristically shaken by the sadness she inevitably sees in her job, Laura jumps at the opportunity for a weekend conference in Boston. There she meets Richard Copeland, an equally confused and unhappy insurance salesman, and the two feel an immediate attraction. Laura and Richard find in their shared loneliness a common longing to lead a better life together, if they can find the courage to change. While Laura and Richard’s quickly developing relationship is rarely believable, Laura’s confusion and fear are well drawn, and Kennedy ably raises questions about marriage, identity, and happiness. Agent: Antony Harwood, Antony Harwood Literary Agency. (Apr.)