Cities and families make up our lives in equal measure: both never stop changing, and both can protect us, hold us mdash or cut us to the bone. For Mary Forrest, 29, her city and her family are deeply entwined: her mother, Evelyn, is the editor of the most prestigious literary magazine in New York, as much a part of the city as the Chelsea Hotel (now condos) or Green-Wood Cemetery (now five figures per plot). In 1999, as gentrification morphs the neighborhoods Evelyn and Mary have known all their lives, Evelyn rsquo s mind likewise starts to slip away. Mary rsquo s life is going the way of the Automat and Luna Park, and she is furious.

As her city, her mother, and the other touchstones of her life start to fade away, Mary looks for hope in astrology, men, friends, and work. But when all seems lost, it rsquo s time to stop looking for happiness outside, and start looking for the guiding stars within.

Elegiac and elegant, this new edition of Sara Gran rsquo s first novel is introduced by the author.