Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist and author of numerous young adult novels, has penned her first adult novel. HE’S GONE is an intensely gripping story about love, loss, marriage, and secrets—perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, and Anna Quindlen.
And, below, Deb shares her life-long love for one of her favorite places: the library.
“One of the most constant and sustaining truths of my life has been this: I love the library. It’s a love that’s been steadfast and unwavering since I was about six years old. I understood right from the start that every set of library doors were the sort of magic portals that lead to other lands. My God, right within reach there were dinosaurs and planets and presidents and girl detectives! It was a blissful mismatch of promises, the very sort I required: adventure and escape all in a setting of order and safety.
From then on, I was the library-goer who needed the library. I was (am) a bit of an addict. The thrill of bringing home a stack of books so heavy you could barely carry them (I can take all these? For free? Really?) began then and has never left me. But even more, all the answers were in that place. I ate lunch in there sometimes when I was a teen and needed a reprieve from being a teen. As a young mother, I trolled the aisles dripping babies and book bags as I tried to learn how to be a writer. And later, I hid in Self Help as I tried to understand–and leave–my abusive marriage. That’s another thing: librarians keep your secrets. Between those walls and those covers there is all of life, the whole record of us poor old souls doing what we can to get through it, and librarians know this.
Every few weeks, I still make my pilgrimage, hauling around my too-full bag. And every time, I still can’t quite believe no one’s chasing me out as I make off with the goods. So, dear librarians, thank you for this greedy joy. Thank you, too, for the life-changing power of information. Your libraries have been my sanctuary and my sigh of relief, and I am ever grateful.”
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