An Oprah Magazine Summer Reading Pick
"Hilarious, heartfelt and breathless."—Chatelaine, 2019's Best Books for Summer Reading
"With her riotous and tender second novel, Gilman delivers her own windmill-tilting sojourn—with a woman at the helm."—Oprah Magazine, Best Books of the Summer 2019
"Following a tragicomic domestic revelation, suburban mom and recovering alcoholic Donna throws off the mantle of predictability to pursue a midlife crisis for the ages....An unforeseen turn in the road elevates her journey far above the navel-gazing lost weekend it might have been. Gilman channels the best of Jennifer Weiner, especially Best Friends Forever, but the spiritual sibling of this novel is ironically the masterpiece of Weiner's nemesis: Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex. The symmetry of Donna's setting with that of Middlesex will link them for years to come. VERDICT Literary fiction readers, chick lit fans, suburbanites, mothers, daughters, addicts (recovering and otherwise), immigrants, people with dreams achieved and abandoned-all kinds of readers will love this book. A must-have."—Library Journal
"In her new equally generous, hilarious work of fiction, a 45-year-old "bad Jewish girl," recovering alcoholic, and flamed-out punk rocker leaves her dentist husband and his dominatrix and narrates her road trip, and a final sharp twist in the novel provides it with a special meaning."—The National Book Review
"Epic "—New York Post, Required Reading
"[A] witty romp....Donna is reliably irreverent and her travels follow a moving evolution to renewed confidence as she comes to terms with mistakes and regrets. Fans of Jonathan Tropper will love this."—Publishers Weekly
"Thanks to Gilman's characteristic wit and charm, her latest novel is a hilariously over-the-top, devastating yet relatable tale of one woman's descent into and back from a personal hell [...] Gilman's writing is razor-sharp and propulsive as her protagonist maintains her wry humor about her situation while probing underlying questions about self-identity, friendship, love, and memory with sensitivity and grace."—Booklist
"Refreshing [and] surprising...A larger-than-life story about a woman who makes drastic decisions in an attempt to get back on track."—Kirkus
"In a novel with quirky characters, hilarious misadventures and kinky sex, the unexpected denouement of Donna Has Left the Building is a gritty, realistic depiction of a true crisis, and a tender story of family love."—Shelf Awareness
"What I cherish about Susan Jane Gilman's writing is how light the touch is, and how deeply it cuts. Like the flawed heroine of this engrossing and incisive — politically, domestically, psychologically — story of an ordinary American life confronted by extraordinary need in the world beyond our borders, Gilman rises to a new level of urgency, empathy, pathos, and, simply, beauty, in her storytelling."—Boris Fishman, author of Don't Let My Baby Do Rodeo
"This big hearted novel is intimate and riveting and keeps the reader engrossed from beginning to end! It takes those classic stories usually told about men-the midlife crisis, the epic quest and turns them inside-out with a smart, edgy, woman at the helm who discovers a greater sense of purpose in the world. A love story in the greatest sense. Brilliant, scathing, powerful, insanely funny. Read it!"—April Sinclair, author of Coffee Will Make You Black
"You'll laugh out loud and also be moved by this tale of motherhood, love, art, and an epic cross-country road trip."—29 Secrets, Summer 2019 Reading List
"Donna is frank and funny in the way we want our girlfriends to be. . . While she is self-absorbed for much of the novel, she eventually comes around, realizing that real happiness is found outside yourself."—HealthCentral
2019-03-18
A suburban mom takes off on a wild road trip that changes her life and her perspective.
Donna Koczynski was once in a punk rock band, but she gave all that up when she married stable, reliable Joey and had her two children, now teenagers. Now, she's a saleswoman for a kitchenware company, and she spends most of her days doing cooking demonstrations in malls and homes. She's also a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in years, and although her life isn't perfect, it's comfortable. That is, until she comes home early from a sales conference to discover that her husband is cheating on her. Distraught and confused, Donna gets in her car and takes off, destination unknown. She finds an old friend she lost touch with, reconnects with a high school sweetheart, and tries her best to avoid taking a sip of alcohol. All the while, she unravels more and more as she runs from her problems and searches desperately for a solution. But when her family needs her, Donna realizes that the answer to her problems may not be where she's looking—in fact, her problems may not be such big problems after all. Donna's inner monologue is crude and bracingly honest, which will be refreshing for some readers but off-putting for others. Her increasingly bad decisions as she careens across America are often hard to read. By the time the story enters its third act, Donna has undergone tremendous personal growth, and Gilman's (The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street, 2014, etc.) writing is moving and well-researched. Although the final destination is surprising and worth it, some readers may find it difficult to push through Donna's frustrating exploits to get there.
A larger-than-life story about a woman who makes drastic decisions in an attempt to get back on track.
