[1] Told through first person narration, the novel centers on Carrie Bell's response to her fiancé's paralysis and through her reactions, questions the obligations and loyalty people have to those in their life.
The story begins with a group of close friends from small town Madison, Wisconsin who head to Clausen's Pier to celebrate Memorial Day.
Carrie Bell has been thinking, for a long time, of how her longtime relationship with fiancé Mike Mayer is wilting away.
Setting: Madison, Washington and Manhattan, New York in modern day, 21st century Narration: First Person Narrator, Carrie Bell Conflict Type: Internal Conflict Conflict Kind: Psychological, Classical Main Characters: Carrie Bell, Mike Mayer, Killroy Secondary Characters: Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Mayer, Simon, Jamie, Rooster The novel was named as one of the Best Books of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Jose Mercury News.
[2] In 2005, the novel was adapted into a television movie for the Lifetime network and starred Michelle Trachtenberg as Carrie Bell and Will Estes as Mike Mayer.