The Dive From Clausen's Pier A Novel

How much do we owe the people we love? Is it a sign of strength or weakness to walk away from someone in need? These questions lie at the heart of Ann Packer's intimate and emotionally thrilling new novel, which has won its author comparisons with Jane Hamilton and Sue Miller. At the age of twenty-three Carrie Bell has spent her entire life in Wisconsin, with the same best friend and the same dependable, easygoing, high school sweetheart. Now to her dismay she has begun to find this life suffocating and is considering leaving itand Mikebehind. But when Mike is paralyzed in a diving accident, leaving seems unforgivable and yet more necessary than ever.The Dive from Clausen's Pieranimates this dilemmaand Carrie's startling response to itwith the narrative assurance, exacting realism, and moral complexity we expect from the very best fiction.

Ann Packer received the Great Lakes Book Award<i> </i>for<i> </i><b>The Dive from Clausen's Pier</b>, which was a national bestseller. She is also the author of <b>Mendocino</b><i> </i><b>and Other Stories</b>. She is a past recipient of a James Michener award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Her fiction has appeared in <i>The New Yorker, Ploughshares,</i> and other magazines, as well as in <b>Prize Stories 1992: The O. Henry Awards</b>. She lives in northern California with her family.