The From-Aways

Fresh talent CJ Hauser makes her literary debut with The From-Aways, an irreverent story of family, love, friendship, and lobsters, in the tradition of J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine and Richard Russo's Empire Falls. Two women come to Maine in search of family, and find more love, heartbreak, and friendship, than they'd ever imagined one little fishing town could hold. When Leah, a young New York reporter, meets Henry, she falls in love with everything about him: his freckles, green thumb, and tales of a Maine childhood. They marry quickly and Leah convinces Henry to move back to Menamon. As Leah builds a life there, reporting for The Menamon Star and vowing to be less of an emotional screw-up, the newlyweds are shocked to discover that they don't know each other nearly so well as they thought they did. When Quinn's mother dies, she tracks down the famous folk-singer father she's never known, in Menamon. Scrappy and smart-mouthed, Quinn gets a job at the local paper, an apartment above the town diner, and tries to shore up the courage to meet her father. But falling in love with her roommate, Rosie, was never part of the plan. These two unruly women's work relationship at The Star deepens into best-friendship when they stumble onto a story that shakes sleepy Menamon--and holds damaging repercussions for Leah's husband and Quinn's roommate both. As the town descends into turmoil, both women must decide what kind of lives they are willing to fight for.

About the Author :
CJ Hauser's fiction has appeared in Tin House, The Kenyon Review, TriQuarterly, and Esquire. She is a recipient of McSweeney's Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award and winner of the Jaimy Gordon Prize in fiction. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in English at The Florida State University.

Review :
"CJ Hauser's debut novel, THE FROM-AWAYS, is as charming, salty and fresh as its setting in small-town Maine. Through her spunky heroines, Leah and Quinn, who have both come to Maine to find roots, Hauser tells an affecting story about lobsters, loyalty and love." - Elliott Holt, author of You Are One of Them "THE FROM-AWAYS is populated by twenty-somethings running from and in search of family, by people passionately in pursuit of home. CJ Hauser has written a wise, lovely, luminous novel about love and work and leaving New York." - Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You "I was immediately pulled into this enchanting debut novel by the wit of CJ Hauser's prose, her sharp dialogue, and her honesty in portraying the journey of young women trying to find their place in the world." - Vendela Vida, author of The Lovers and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name "This impressively crafted first novel is likely to leave readers wanting both a Maine lobster dinner and more from [CJ Hauser]." - Booklist "Hauser's story is a love letter to the town of Menamon, Maine. She writes her prose with such vivid descriptions that you feel you are walking the streets of the town...If you like a story with colorful characters who are delightfully flawed, then this is the book for you." - Tallahassee Democrat "This big-hearted story about small-town Maine captivated me from the first page...Filled with humor and poetry and complicated characters who love foolishly and too much." - Christina Baker Kline, New York Times-bestselling author of Orphan Train "In THE FROM-AWAYS, CJ Hauser introduces us to Menamon, Maine, a town of wisecracking fisherman, activist waitresses, and secret fathers, with such deftness we immediately know and care for it like locals...I loved spending time in Menamon, and was sorry when I had to go." - Marie-Helene Bertino, author of SAFE AS HOUSES and 2 A.M. AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS "Memorable." - Minneapolis Star Tribune "Hauser's style is expressive, clever and compelling, and she offers readers a thoughtful and engaging debut." - Kirkus Reviews