Unless

"Nothing short of astonishing." -- New Yorker

"A thing of beauty--lucidly written, artfully ordered, riddled with riddles and undergirded with dark layers of philosophical meditations." -- Los Angeles Times

The final book from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields, Unless, is a harrowing but ultimately consoling story of one family's anguish and healing, proving Shields's mastery of extraordinary fiction about ordinary life.

For all of her life, 44 year old Reta Winters has enjoyed the useful monotony of happiness: a loving family, good friends, growing success as a writer of light 'summertime' fiction. But this placid existence is cracked wide open when her beloved eldest daughter, Norah, drops out to sit on a gritty street corner, silent but for the sign around her neck that reads 'GOODNESS.' Reta's search for what drove her daughter to such a desperate statement turns into an unflinching and surprisingly funny meditation on where we find meaning and hope.

Author: Carol Shields
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 01/03/2006
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 8.01h x 5.36w x 0.89d
ISBN: 9780060874407

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 7.4
Point Value: 12
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 65928 / Unless

About the Author
Shields, Carol: - Carol Shields was born in Chicago and lived in Canada for most of her life. She is the author of three short story collections and eight novels, including the Pulitzer Prize -- winning The Stone Diaries and Larry's Party, winner of the Orange Prize.