Author Event with Abby Fabiaschi
Tuesday, February 7th
Elm Street Books
Starts at 7pm
to RSVP email [email protected]. All are welcome!
Abby Fabiaschi’s I LIKED MY LIFE (St. Martin’s Press; January 31, 2017; hardcover) is a poignant and fresh look at the fraught sacrifices of motherhood and the nuances of mourning between a hormonal teen and a powerful alpha male father. Written with the domestic insight of Jodi Picoult, reminiscent in style to Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and playing with dimensional narratives as The Lovely Bones did, I LIKED MY LIFE is an acutely perceptive, candid debut that leaves you pondering: If you live your life for other people, can you truly be happy? And what becomes of those you served once you’re gone?
I LIKED MY LIFE unfurls the story of the Starlings, a seemingly happy family whose matriarch, Madeline, dies tragically in what is deemed a suicide. Madeline was a model wife and mother who chose to stay at home after many successful years in the corporate world; she was the glue that held her family together. Through alternating points of view, Fabiaschi reveals her characters: Madeline, postmortem, as she attempts to make things right for her family; Brady, as he struggles to balance his high-powered career with the demands of single fatherhood; and Eve, as grief thrusts her into adulthood and she grapples to find her identity without her mother by her side. The result is an intimate, charming, and achingly beautiful portrait of a father and daughter trying to redefine their understanding of family and a striking depiction of the transcendent power of unconditional love.
In explaining her inspiration for the story, Fabiaschi writes, “I was inspired by a sentiment from Adrienne Rich’s poetry: If we could learn to learn from pain even as it grasps us. I love the idea that slivers of beauty exist in life’s most agonizing moments, if only you know where to look. Madeline, Eve, and Brady learn exactly that, each on their own timeline and in their own way.”
Abby Fabiaschi is a human rights advocate and the Director of the Board for Made by Survivors, an international nonprofit organization with a unique prosperity model that uplifts victims from sex trafficking and extreme abuse. In 2012 Abby resigned from her executive post in high tech to pursue a career in writing. I Liked My Life is her first novel. She and her family divide their time between West Hartford, Connecticut, and Park City, Utah. Learn more at www.abbyfabiaschi.com.
Praise for I LIKED MY LIFE
“Abby Fabiaschi’s first novel, I Liked My Life, is an emotional journey of love, loss, healing, and redemption. I rooted for each character and loved watching them be transformed by time and grace. I look forward to reading more of Abby’s work in the years to come.”
—Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
“Abby Fabiaschi’s provocative new novel I Liked My Life, does not appear to be a scary story, a parable, a mystery, but on some level, it is all those things. It has so much of everything that you will ache for and fear for the main character — but never forget her. You will more than like I Liked My Life and the writing of this brave debut novelist, who will be dancing in your mind for years to come.”
—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and Two If by Sea
“Once I started, I couldn’t stop turning pages until the spirit of Madeline Starling had sung her full story. A novel about mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, life and death, guilt and forgiveness all bonded together in love that defies the grave: family. Fabiaschi skillfully balances humor and heartache in this wonderful addition to women’s fiction. An irresistible read.”
—Sarah McCoy, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Mapmaker’s Children
“I Liked My Life is as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking. This is a candid portrait of family life stripped naked, leaving the reader vulnerable yet comforted in the knowledge that we are not alone. Each character is expertly drawn, each line of dialogue real and evocative, and the plot leaves you guessing until the end. I Liked My Life is unputdownable, and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Fabiaschi writes next as I will be first in line to read it.”
—Karen White New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
“So vivid, gripping, and flat-out spectacular that I actually dreamt about this novel the night after I read it…. It’s that good. If you’re looking for a book to fall in love with, a book that will make you think and cry and feel hopeful, please pick up this one.”
—Sarah Pekkanen, international bestselling author
“Abby Fabiaschi’s irresistible voice drew me in from the start. I Liked My Life is the smart, good-hearted story of a family’s loss and healing that pushed me to think as often as it made me smile.”
—Eleanor Brown, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of The Weird Sisters
“Abby Fabiaschi’s debut novel, I Liked My Life, is a rich, multi-layered story about family and the enormous power of love. A compelling read that challenges what we know about ourselves and the people who love us.”
—Mia King, National bestselling author
“What happens when a woman who seemingly had it all ends her life? A reeling husband and daughter are left to pick up the pieces in this emotion-packed novel that keeps you guessing until the final, satisfying chapter. In her debut, Fabiaschi masterfully avoids overwrought sentimentality, digging to the heart of what matters in life, love, and death.”
—Colleen Oakley, author of Before I Go
“An utterly satisfying, beautifully written, absolutely unforgettable debut novel that will make you laugh, cry, and remember to hug those you love.”
—Kristin Harmel, International bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and The Life Intended
“A breathtaking debut. Fabiaschi depicts the smudged line between life and death with a complexity that is both magnificent and tragic. Her story will find its place in your heart and live there.”
—Emily Liebert, bestselling author of Some Women
“Fans of Liane Moriarty will fall in love with this unpredictable tale!”
—Robin O’Bryant, New York Times best-selling author of Ketchup is a Vegetable & Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves