Nancy Foley – författare

For readers of Elizabeth Strout and Sigrid Nunez, a darkly funny and moving debut novel about the unforgettable Agatha, whose devotion to a widow with dementia (and an inconvenient attachment to her daughter’s grave) sparks a radical reckoning with life, loss, and love’s aftermath.Have we done a bad thing, Agatha? Not at all. We’ve been very brave. Agatha, a bristly painter fleeing her own darkness, decamps to rural New Mexico to live the reclusive life of a small-town curmudgeon. It is there she meets Alice, a mild widow with a deepening case of dementia who keeps steady vigil at her daughter’s backyard grave. Despite Agatha’s rough edges and fierce aversion to sentimentality, she surprises herself by falling in love, and her well-worn convictions begin to upend. As Alice’s condition worsens, Agatha hatches a plan for them to live together at her remote residence at Mesa Portales. But when Alice’s wayward son comes along with different ideas—and Alice suddenly goes missing—Agatha takes matters into her own hands with the help of a faithful twelve-year-old-neighbor, a pair of shovels, and her trusty pickup, embarking on an unusual mission that calls into question whether some secrets are better kept buried… Sharp, watchful, at once thrillingly perceptive and hidden from herself, Agatha is as imposing and full of feeling as the vast canyon her rustic adobe home overlooks. Loosely inspired by the life of Agnes Martin, I Am Agatha introduces us to this irascible, indelible character over the course of a strange, singular stretch of days—days during which she learns new ways to fathom life, death, and her own heart.

A beautiful love story and meditation on grief, memory, art, and the deepest secrets we hold to keep living. Angie Kim Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmiths magnificent Ripley novels...Brilliant and wily...Captivating. Maureen Corrigan Wry, tender, and deeply original. Christina Baker Kline For readers of Elizabeth Strout and Sigrid Nunez, a darkly funny and moving debut novel about the unforgettable Agatha, whose devotion to a widow with dementia (and an inconvenient attachment to her daughters grave) sparks a radical reckoning with life, loss, and loves aftermath.Agatha, a bristly painter fleeing her own darkness, decamps to rural New Mexico to live the reclusive life of a small-town curmudgeon. It is there she meets Alice, a mild widow with a deepening case of dementia who keeps steady vigil at her daughters backyard grave. Despite Agathas rough edges and fierce aversion to sentimentality, she surprises herself by falling in love, and her well-worn convictions begin to upend. As Alices condition worsens, Agatha hatches a plan for them to live together at her remote residence at Mesa Portales. But when Alices wayward son comes along with different ideasand Alice suddenly goes missingAgatha takes matters into her own hands with the help of a faithful thirteen-year-old-neighbor, a pair of shovels, and her trusty pickup, embarking on an unusual mission that calls into question whether some secrets are better kept buried. Sharp, watchful, at once thrillingly perceptive and hidden from herself, Agatha is as imposing as the vast landscape her rustic adobe home overlooks. Loosely inspired by the life of Agnes Martin, I Am Agatha introduces us to this irascible, indelible character who learnsover a stretch of strange, singular daysnew ways to fathom life, death, and her own heart.

'Surprising and spellbinding' Angie Kim, New York Times-bestselling author of Happiness Falls'Wry, tender, deeply original ... a fierce meditation on love, art and freedom' Christina Baker-Kline, New York Times-bestselling author of Please Don't LieAgatha and Alice are in love. Agatha, a celebrated painter and even more famous recluse, finally wants to settle down. But Alice has dementia, and a lingering fixation on her late daughter, who's buried in her backyard. In an ideal world, Agatha would move Alice - and her daughter's remains, if necessary - into her isolated house in the mesa high above their New Mexico town. But Alice's son wants her safely shut up in an assisted living facility and her property deeds in his pocket. As unlikely allies come to her aid and secrets are unearthed that should have stayed below ground, Agatha engages in a ferocious battle of wills with the townsfolk who stand between her and happily ever after.Freewheeling, hilarious, moving and entertaining, I Am Agatha combines the sideways humour of Big Swiss with the heart and strong female characters of Olive Kitteridge.