In Kimberly King Parsons’ debut novel, We Were the Universe, indescribable grief knocks a suburban Texas mother out of orbit. Four years after losing her little sister, Kit is struggling to hold it together. While she loves her spirited young daughter and considerate husband, she longs for the days when casual sex and recreational drugs would help her numb the pain. (Her relentless sexual fantasies, often delivered in a breathless stream of consciousness, are sure to make readers blush.) Kit’s recently dumped bestie presents her with the return to hedonism she’s been desperately craving: a weekend getaway that could heal them both. But the short vacation conjures an unexpected visitor who Kit can’t shake, the spirit of her late sibling. Parsons, an acclaimed short story writer, offers a hilarious and haunting look at the astronomical nature of loss.
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