Missed and Loved by Susie Boyt

This is another one of the “it's Friday and if you haven't read this it's new to you” book recommendations. This is the story of basically getting a do over in life. Ruth is a woman who believes in and despairs of the curative power of love. Her daughter, Eleanor, who is addicted to drugs, has just had a baby, Lily. Ruth adjusts herself in ways large and small to give to Eleanor what she thinks she may need—nourishment, distance, affection—but all her gifts and interventions fall well short. Eleanor an her partner are heavily using as well as largely ignoring their baby. After someone dies of an overdose in Eleanor's apartment building , Ruth hands her daughter an envelope of cash and takes Lily home with her, and Lily, as she grows, proves a compensation for all of Ruth's past defeats and disappointment. Love without fear is a new feeling for her, almost unrecognizable. Not everything goes perfectly well but it goes well enough and that is just perfect for Ruth. I really enjoyed this book and it is on the short side, something that can be read in an afternoon or two.