Every Last Cuckoo

An elderly widow discovers a new sense of purpose when a series of wayward young people come to stay in her Vermont home in this “truly engrossing novel” (Library Journal).

“Maloy’s novel grabs the reader by the heart. . . . In this portrait of a long and loving marriage, [she] gives us a real human family, with all its love and conflict and change, as well as a look at the richness that can come with age.” —The New Orleans Times-Picayune

Sarah Lucas imagined the rest of her days would be spent living peacefully in her rural Vermont home in the steadfast company of her husband. But now, with Charles’s sudden passing, seventy-five-year-old Sarah is left inconsolably alone.

As grief settles in, Sarah’s mind lingers on her past: her imperfect but devoted fifty-year marriage to Charles; the years they spent raising their three very different children; and her childhood during the Great Depression, when her parents opened their home to countless relatives and neighbors. So, when a variety of lost souls come seeking shelter in Sarah’s own big, empty home, her past comes full circle. As this unruly flock forms a family of sorts, they—with Sarah—nurture and protect one another, all the while discovering their unsuspected strengths and courage.

In the tradition of Jane Smiley and Sue Miller, Kate Maloy has crafted a wise and gratifying novel about a woman who gracefully accepts a surprising new role just when she thought her best years were behind her.

“Marvelous . . . Its tenderly wrought portrayal of elderly life has an unexpectedly powerful effect.” -The Oregonian

“A story about the profound gifts of time, love, and loss. . . . Maloy’s message is about affirming the profundity of grief by expressing that energy in positive ways. This story is her generous vision of how things could be.” —The Olympian

“The appeal of Maloy’s debut-which has the fast-forward quality of a fairy tale-is not in its subtlety but in its conviction.” -People