The inspiration for the cult-classic film starring Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci, and Cher, this novel is narrated by Charlotte Flax, a fourteen-year-old helplessly dragged by her mother from place to place, brief affair to brief affair. When they settle into a quiet New England town in 1963, the teenager yearns to stay put for once. With a convent just steps away from their home, this could be Charlotte's chance to fulfill her dream of becoming a martyred Catholic saint--despite the fact that she's Jewish. At the same time, the young caretaker at the convent is inspiring some unsaintly thoughts . . .

"Patty Dann gives us a magnificent voice in the young Charlotte . . . Compelling and tender, touching and alive in her search to find some order in the chaos of her life." --The New York Times Book Review

"This is a really funny book about people trying to find something to hang onto in a world that keeps shifting under their feet. Patty Dann guides us through the guerilla war between mother and daughter, through the minefields that lie between being a child and being an adult, in a voice not like any we've heard before." --John Sayles, director and novelist

"Moments of pure gold . . . An energetic talent." --Kirkus Reviews

"Both of [the sisters'] characters are sharply etched and recognizable." --Publishers Weekly

"Poignant . . . a quirky charm." --Booklist

Patty Dann has written four novels and three memoirs. Her book Mermaids was adapted into a film starring Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci. Dann's work has been translated into many languages, and her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, O Magazine, and ForbesWomen. She has an MFA in writing from Columbia University and a BA from the University of Oregon. Dann has taught at Sarah Lawrence College and at the West Side YMCA. She was cited by New York Magazine as one of the Great Teachers of NYC.