The Box Garden

The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult life

Ever since her husband left her—seemingly vanishing into thin air—Charleen Forrest has supported herself and her fifteen-year-old son on what she earns as an obscure poet and part-time gofer for an even more obscure scientific journal. But when her estranged mother remarries—prompting an unplanned reunion—Charleen finds herself moving out of her familiar existence.

A dazzling counterpoint to Shields’s debut novel,  Small Ceremonies ,imbued with her scathing wit and dead-on observations,  The Box Garden  is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who finds transformation—and happiness—where she least expects it.