Jim Finley--a recently retired English teacher living alone on the
shifting edge of San Francisco--has been set, unwittingly, on the back
porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he sits most
days by his stack of "to-do" books until, one day, his daughter comes
home with the worst news of her life. Everything changes. As his broken
heart reengages, he steps back into a new world. He sees his ex-wife has
launched into a larger life than the one they'd shared. He is surprised
to find it easier to talk to his son's immigrant girlfriend, or even the
remains of a Russian saint, than to the young man he's raised. He
misconnects with Carol--his first date in decades--a woman he enjoys
talking with but doesn't quite hear. Set in the pre-tech calm before the
turn of this century, Outer Sunset is a deeply felt story about the
intimate place where long-lasting growth occurs in our lives; how we
revise, or live without, our dreams; how to love the flaws of those
closest to you and watch a child grow away into someone better than
you'd imagined; and how to be shaken by beauty amidst unimaginable loss
and remain standing.