Thirty years. That's how long Midwesterners Kim and Grant have been together. When we first meet them they are in their fifties, have twin adult daughters who are on their own and Grant has lost his teaching position. Grant wants Kim to marry him, but she's unsure if she wants this. She is beginning to question their relationship and her unease in general. An unexpected offer from Kim's ex-husband to spend the winter at his Palm Springs condo turns them into snowbirds. This would be a winter they would never forget.
SNOWBIRDS, a novel by Christina Clancy, is a skillful portrayal of an unusual relationship in which two people have identified as partners but mostly live together on weekends. Now they will be faced with spending day in and day out with each other for an entire season in a new locale. What could go wrong? It turns out the possibilities are endless.
Told with wit and sensitivity, SNOWBIRDS is a story about introspection, self-discovery and embracing change. The setting in the legendary and storied Palm Springs is beautifully brought to life as is its lively and unique cultural scene. As for the characters, the author gifts readers with a most memorable collection of people. The narrative flows smoothly and is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads.
Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their \"separate but together\" partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.
When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he’s really left her.
Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.