Ashley Hall: A Novel by the Author of Tears of the Willow

Apartment dwelling in a large city can be a lonely experience for some people. For others, the anonymity is a sanctuary. Residents of a large apartment building can pick and choose the personal information they want to share, and it isn't implausible for neighbors to remain strangers for years. And so it is for the inhabitants of the sixth floor of Ashley Hall during the transforming and tumultuous decade of the 1960s. There is the newly-arrived Irish immigrant, who carries what she calls "The Lie, The Secret" with her to America. Next door is the lonely, retired Steinway Piano factory worker who has been abandoned by her family. In 6C, the confirmed bachelor knows that if anyone finds out who his true love is, it will ruin his life. The newlyweds in 6D wonder if their marriage can survive their parents' rejection, while the middle-aged couple in 6E is struggling with the adjustments of his retirement-and his startling adulterous affair. The mysterious divorcee in 6G hasn't known love for many years, until a freak accident brings a neighbor into her apartment...and into her bed. All of the inhabitants of Ashley Hall's sixth floor are impacted by the chaotic life of the Walsh family: the good-hearted but tormented Brendan, his wife, a proud and educated career woman, and their two vulnerable and troubled daughters. Over a period of ten years, while the world changes significantly, the neighbors of Ashley Hall's sixth floor find that their lives can have new significance, that change is inevitable, and forgiveness is always an option. We share their sorrows, their joys, and their capacity to love and accept even the most unlikely strangers. Note: the book includes book discussion questions for book clubs.