Palm Meridian

Flahive debuts with a heart-wrenching but uplifting near-future story about a septuagenarian who intends to go out with a bang after learning she has terminal cancer. In 2067, Hannah plans a massive party at the Palm Meridian, a Florida retirement community for gay, bisexual, and transgender women and their friends. In addition to her neighbors, she invites her childhood friend and business partner Luke, as well as Sophia, the love of her life. When Luke arrives, he acts sheepish, and his strange behavior remains a mystery until near the end, while Sophie, who never confirmed her attendance, keeps the others guessing as to whether she’ll show up. In flashbacks to Hannah’s 20s in 2020s Canada, Flahive teases out the reasons for Luke’s strangeness and Sophie’s absence, which are finally revealed to Hannah mere hours before she plans to die by euthanasia. Flahive is unflinching in her depiction of a future ravaged by climate change, where former towns are overgrown and flooded, and Disney World has fallen into ruin. It’s a stirring tale of living and dying on one’s own terms. Agent: Grainne Fox, UTA. (June)