On Turpentine Lane

In this endearing romantic comedy, a young woman navigates the complexities of modern love as she investigates her new home’s mysterious past.
At thirty-two, Faith Frankel has returned to her claustro-suburban hometown, where she writes institutional thank-you notes for her alma mater. It’s a peaceful life, really, and surely with her recent purchase of a sweet bungalow on Turpentine Lane, her life is finally on track. Never mind that her fiancé is off on a crowdfunded cross-country walk, too busy to return her texts (but not too busy to post photos of himself with a different woman in every state). And never mind her witless boss, or a mother who lives too close, or a philandering father who thinks he’s Chagall.
When she finds some mysterious artifacts in the attic of her new home, she wonders whether anything in her life is as it seems. What good fortune, then, that Faith has found a friend in affable, collegial Nick Franconi, officemate par excellence . . .
Elinor Lipman may well have invented the screwball romantic comedy for our era, and here she is at her sharpest and best.
Praise for On Turpentine Lane
“Light and tight, On Turpentine Lane is constructed with an almost scary mastery. . . . Lipman seems to have the most fun writing ridiculous characters, which may be why the novel’s worst people are so enjoyable.” —New York Times Book Review
“The cleverly tangled plot—along with some snappy dialogue and a wry, likeable heroine—makes Lipman’s latest a diverting delight.” —People
“With a witty cast of characters and her usual delightful dialogue and insightful observations of human behavior, Lipman . . . captures the complications of modern love.” —Publishers Weekly