No Matter What

Silent yearning and aching hearts animate this deeply emotional contemporary from Bastone (Ready or Not). It’s been one year since heroine Roz, her husband, Vin, and her brother-in-law and best friend, Raffi, were gravely injured in a car accident. While all three recovered from their physical injuries, the aftermath left recipe developer Roz and electrician Vin in an awkward place where conversation has become impossible and physical intimacy­—the area where they always communicated best—has disappeared. This rough spot comes to a head when Vin announces he’s signed a new lease and plans to move out. Looking to escape their apartment as much as possible, Roz pals around with Raffi and signs up for figure drawing classes, which ignite her creativity. A weekly class proves insufficient to help her express all that’s churning inside her, however, and she considers placing a Craigslist add seeking nude models for extra practice—until Vin volunteers to model himself, hoping to spare Roz from potential creeps. Tension-filled sketching sessions open the door for the couple to reconnect. Even at their worst, it’s easy to see that these two belong together, and Bastone makes their reconciliation a delicious slow burn while doing a good job handling their PTSD from the accident. This impresses. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Mar.)