Dear Virginia, Wait for Me: A Novel

Peppa is an intriguing central character: intellectually gifted with a photographic memory, but naïve and hugely lacking in self-confidence because of the ways her mentally ill mother and demanding father treat her. Determined to break free of their influence, she lands a position in Manhattan working for Ivan, a wealthy philanthropist who introduces her to lobster, espresso, and the luxury of a car service. His clients include GoGo, an aging and spoiled rock star with an enormous appetite.

Despite her burgeoning career, her parents still insist on setting her up for a blind date with a plumber, who turns out to be as enamored of the writer Virginia Woolf as Peppa is. What no one knows is that Peppa hears Virginia’s voice speaking to her whenever she’s in need of bolstering or advice. And that she suffers from an unrecognized mental illness. Still, he and Peppa find plenty to discuss, and pages are filled with delightful dialogue between them, as well as with Ivan and GoGo.

Any novel set in 2001 in lower Manhattan moves inexorably towards a certain well-known event, and readers familiar with Woolf’s suicide will feel dread as Peppa unravels before finding her way safely forward.