EMILY AND EINSTEIN – Linda Francis Lee
A Novel of Second Chances
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-38218-6
March 2011 (Hardcover)
March 2012 (Paperback)
Contemporary Fiction

Manhattan , New York City

Emily Portman really, really loves her husband, Sandy. (That's Alexander Regal Vandermeer Portman, scion of the two families who founded and run the prestigious Wall Street investment firm, Royal Bay .) However, after Sandy 's accidental death when caught between two colliding cars and secrets come to light, that love—and her life—is shaken. So much so that her career as an editor at a small, quality publishing house begins to suffer. That's not all; her in-laws are trying to evict her from Sandy 's co-op apartment in the famed Dakota on the Upper West Side . (He never got around to adding Emily to the deed.) Emily takes some small comfort by helping to save an injured dog at the animal clinic where she volunteers. She names the shaggy mutt Einstein and takes him home.

As Sandy 's soul leaves his body behind on the street, an old man shows up to guide him on his way. Through pleading and promises, Sandy wins a concession from the old man. If Sandy can atone for his singularly selfish and self-centered life by making it up to Emily, then . . .

The trouble is: Sandy must do it as a dog.

That makes for a funny premise, but Sandy 's challenge is more ironic and deservedly fitting than comic. His will be a stony path to enlightenment indeed . . . if he ever succeeds. His success is not insured, as the second chance implied in the sub-title might well be Emily's, for she soon encounters a worthy neighbor named Max . . .

EMILY AND EINSTEIN is a complex novel rich in interesting characters and subplots. Besides Emily's growing attachment to Einstein and her problems at work, her younger sister comes to visit. The two sisters have little in common but their mother, but that's a tale that adds another dimension to Emily and her connections.

For an unusual reading experience that will pull you in deeper and deeper as Emily's life unfolds and lessons are learned, I highly recommend EMILY AND EINSTEIN.

Jane Bowers