Amie McCracken

Leaning Into the Abyss Amie McCracken

In a parallel universe, Rhea's husband-to-be Andrew dies on their wedding day, falling from a cliff while her best friend Luke watches. She is besieged by grief, unanswered questions, and the swirling hurricane of demands Andrew's parents make on her, ordering her to restore a family treasure.

A widow in one reality and seeking normality in another. But she is drowning in memories of her mother, who died when she was a teenager. She resists the smothering control of her elder sister Phoebe and feels betrayed by her father's passivity. Meanwhile Luke, who should be her rock, vanishes into his own pain.

The time has come to stop meeting the expectations of others. To find meaning, Rhea must open up the dreams she once held dear. She accepts a new job in Mexico as a psychologist in an orphanage. To find fulfillment, she will need to leave those she loves and strike out on her own. But something is still not settled back home, and she'll have to face the storm head on.

Can the Day of the Dead mark the day Rhea truly starts living? When universes run parallel to one another, where does true happiness lie?