I’ll Come to You

This finely tuned family drama from Kauffman (Chorus) takes place over one year in an unremarkable middle American town, as a new grandfather deals with dementia. It’s 1995, and Bruce’s wife, Janet, can’t bring herself to tell their adult children about his cognitive decline. Their daughter, Corrine, finally has a new baby girl after an arduous struggle to conceive with her husband, Paul. Her brother, Rob, meanwhile, can’t accept that his ex-wife has moved on to another relationship. Kauffman also explores fissures in Paul’s family, as Paul resents his father for leaving his mother, Ellen, a sweet, hardworking school bus driver, who’s surprised herself by finding a new boyfriend. After all the characters get together on a snowy, fateful Christmas Eve, the siblings bicker until a life-threatening event forces them to put aside their differences. The author has drawn authentic and believable portraits of these flawed but decent people as they negotiate life’s upheavals. Ellen, whose reward for 35 years of driving a school bus is a $35 Kmart gift certificate, delivers the novel’s poignant epitaph: “I’m gonna get myself together here, then I’ll come to you.” Kauffman’s fans will love this. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary. (Jan.)