MAYBE NOW, MAYBE NEVER

Three women reconnect with one another four decades after high school on a quest toward personal fulfillment in Posti’s novel.

The book opens in PittsburghasRachel Baran, Frank Sowak, Marla Galani, and Warren Hartley settle into church pews for their friend Suzanne Fleming’s wedding to Rob Jackson. Frank was just in the middle of proposing marriage to Rachel when Marla showed up, much to Rachel’s relief (“perfect timing,” she thinks). She can’t fathom the idea of committing so completely to anyone other than her late first husband, Stan. Similarly, Marla is happy being independently wealthy and unmarried; her arrangement with Warren as an occasional boyfriend is enough. As soon as the wedding ends, Rachel and Frank call it quits. Feeling down in the dumps, Rachel hunkers down at home and gets the shock of her life when she finds a note that reveals that Stan had been involved in a long-term affair. At a loss, she retreats temporarily to Florida to take care of her aging mother. Meanwhile, Marla has discovered that an anonymous wrongdoer is sabotaging small businesses in their sleepy hometown of Port Mariette, a half-hour drive from Pittsburgh. Rachel, Marla, and Suzanne band together in the hope of saving the town businesses. Thrust into roles of detectives and activists, the women end up revisiting their pasts while also trying to craft plans for their futures. Told from the alternating points of view of Rachel, Marla, and Suzanne, respectively, the novel effectively offers a look at the tribulations of adults in late middle age—from caring for elderly parents to navigating relationships with grown children. The overall plot is somewhat bland, with few high-stakes moments and many superfluous details that don’t advance the story. However, the honesty and openness with which the author examines familiar experiences has a grace of its own. Watching three very different women find common ground as they pursue second acts for themselves is poignant and compelling. Even as Posti tackles issues of self-doubt throughout this unhurried tale, she presents characters with grit and fortitude.

An uplifting, if slow-moving, tale of strong, resilient women.