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The Art of Adapting: A Novel
The Art of Adapting: A Novel
The Art of Adapting: A Novel
Ebook444 pages12 hours

The Art of Adapting: A Novel

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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In this “intriguing and moving” (Examiner.com) first novel, a recently separated woman rises to the challenge and experiences the exhilaration of independence with the unlikely help of her brother with Asperger’s.

Seven months after her husband leaves her, Lana is still reeling. Being single means she is in charge of every part of her life, and for the first time in nineteen years, she can do things the way she always wanted to do them. But that also leaves her with all the responsibility. With two teenage children—Byron and Abby, who are each dealing with their own struggles—in a house she can barely afford on her solo salary, her new life is a balancing act made even more complicated when her brother Matt moves in.

Matt has Asperger’s syndrome, which makes social situations difficult for him and flexibility and change nearly impossible. He only eats certain foods in a certain order and fixates on minor details. When Lana took him in, he was self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to numb his active mind enough to sleep at night. Adding Matt’s regimented routine to her already disrupted household seems like the last thing Lana needs, but her brother’s unique attention to detail makes him an invaluable addition to the family: he sees things differently.

A “lively, engaging, and heartfelt tale of learning how to cope with change” (Publishers Weekly), The Art of Adapting is a feel-good story that celebrates the small moments and small changes that add up to one great life.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherTouchstone
Release dateJul 29, 2014
ISBN9781476761619
The Art of Adapting: A Novel
Author

Cassandra Dunn

Cassandra Dunn received her MFA in creative writing from Mills College. She was a semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and a finalist in Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers. She has two children and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I struggled with THE ART OF ADAPTING because in some ways, I really loved it and in others I found it predictable and a bit boring. In this story by Cassandra Dunn, a newly-separated mother of teenagers has to deal with putting herself back out there, adapting to life without her husband (but still with him in it some, as they are only separated), and watching out for a grown brother who has struggles with Asperger's Syndrome. It seems like it's almost too much for one book to handle, but that's where the beauty of the story came in.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on August 2, 2014.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Art of Adapting, Cassandra Dunn

    This is a year in the life of a divorced woman her children a son and a daughter and her brother who has autism. There is nothing over the top dramatic that happens. I am recommending the book on the strength of the writer’s story telling ability. The title “The Art of Adapting “ comes from the characters need to adapt to their new living situations. Lana the mother begins to cope with her change in status from protected spouse to single mother and her brother’s caretaker and her children’s chief advocate. Matt Lana’s brother has asperger’s syndrome and a drug problem. Matt has a particular obsession with details. Over the course of the year changes from being a liability in the family to an asset . The point of the tale seems to be that life and change seldom occurs in the big dramatic moments of life. Change comes from minor corrections or adaptations to lives circumstances. The story does tackle big issues such as eating disorders, father son conflicts, asperger’s syndrome, drug abuse, and restarting a life after a divorce. Adventure in the story comes from watching how the writer sees her characters dealing with and adapting to the various circumstances.

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The Art of Adapting - Cassandra Dunn

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