What's the greatest gift that one person can give another? Jan Goldstein's stunning debut novel, All That Matters, is a deeply moving, endearing tale of a young woman who, with the help of her feisty grandmother, makes a journey from the very brink of death and despair into a full embrace of life.
Jennifer Stempler has nothing left to lose: the love of her life dumped her, her mother died in a senseless car accident five years ago, and her famous Hollywood producer father started a brand-new family -- with no room in it for her. So, 23-year-old Jennifer decides to pursue peaceful (permanent) oblivion on the beach near her home in Venice, California, drifting on a lethal combination of Xanax and tequila. But she can't even get that right.
Jennifer's depression is no match for her Nana's determination. Gabby Zuckerman refuses to let her granddaughter self-destruct. With promises made to Jennifer's father and doctors, Gabby whisks Jennifer back to her home in New York City, intending to prove to Jennifer that her life cannot possibly be over yet. In fact, it has just begun. Through jaunts in Central Park to road trips to Maine, Gabby teaches Jennifer how to trust and hope again. And by relating her own tragic and heroic experience during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Gabby bestows upon Jennifer an understanding of her own life's value. But when Gabby reveals a secret -- one that proves to be Jennifer's toughest challenge yet -- Jennifer struggles to find out whether the gift will sustain her.
Combining the unabashedly heartwarming sentiment of Robert James Waller's The Bridges of Madison County or Nicholas Sparks's Message in a Bottle with the irreverent humor of Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes, Goldstein's All That Matters is an inspirational first novel that leads readers to the core of what matters in life -- family, hope, and savoring each moment.
A YOUNG WOMAN MAKES A JOURNEY FROM THE EDGE OF DEATH INTO THE JOYS OF LIFE A deeply moving, humourous debut novel in which a young woman in despair is saved by her irrepressibly feisty grandmother and learns to embrace life fully. Jennifer Stempler has nothing left to lose. The love of her life has asked her to move out, her mother died in a senseless car accident five years ago and her famous father has started a brand-new family with no room in it for her. So 23-year-old Jennifer decides to pursue a peaceful and permanent oblivion with the aid of a cocktail of antidepressants and tequila. Even her suicide attempt turns out to be a failure. Gabby Zuckerman refuses to let Jennifer, her granddaughter, self-destruct. In her grandmother's care, Jennifer learns to trust and hope again. Jennifer exposes her paralysing grief at the loss of her mother and learns the painful history of her Nana's past during the Nazi occupation of Poland. By revealing her own tragic and heroic experience, Gabby gives Jennifer an understanding of her own life's value.
When Gabby reveals her own secret - one that proves to be Jennifer's toughest challenge yet - Jennifer struggles to find out if her newfound appreciation of life will sustain her.
