from publisher IngramSpark
In 1980s New York City, young lawyer Nick Coleman meets free spirit Caroline Sedlak in an evening fiction writing course. A vivacious fixture at a Greenwich Village bar, she remains mysterious about her life until their teacher reads her story submission to the class, and Nick realizes that a darker past lurks beneath her happy-go-lucky exterior. Nick must confront demons of his own while struggling to prove himself to his colleagues as a young blind lawyer at an office that handles appeals for indigent convicted felons.
Nick’s practical, goal-driven approach to life balances Caroline’s quixotic nature, and their friendship soon deepens into something more. For some time, they’re happy together. But as the two become closer, Nick’s reluctance to commit collides head-on with Caroline’s need to be loved and belong. Soon, they realize that Caroline hasn’t left her past far behind after all … and the behavior that Nick once found charming first frustrates, then terrifies him.
As the two spiral toward an inevitable clash, Nick must choose between the life he thought he wanted, and the woman he can’t bring himself to admit he loves.
About The Author
Reviews and Interviews
“A richly textured portrait of a sometimes luminous, sometimes bleak romance,” featuring “prose that’s psychologically exacting but infused with poetic resonance.”
—Kirkus, February 14, 2022
“Caroline is a subtle and poignant novel in which an impressionable lawyer falls in love.”
—Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews, December 2, 2021
Read “An Interview with Adrian Spratt” by Elizabeth MacBride in the Washington Independent Review of Books, April 12, 2022
Listen to me discuss Caroline on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet podcast.
On April 26, 2023, I was interviewed about Caroline and other sometimes controversial questions by podcaster Jonathan Mosen for his show Living Blindfully. You can visit his site for the transcript of the show. To skip past some lengthy preliminary material to the interview, search for my name. The 58-minute audio, which begins at the show’s 48th minute, can also be played or downloaded on his site.
Caroline-related Short Essay
“How to Tell a Smile,” in Publishers Weekly
Social Media
Please visit my author pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Press
Press materials can be found here.
For publicity requests, please contact:
Ellen Whitfield
Books Forward
(615) 576-0554
ellen@booksforward.com
www.booksforward.com