So Much a Part of You

The friends we make in our 20s and 30s change our lives in ways we could never guess, and the tender linked stories in debut author Polly Dugan’s collection explore the multiple ways our relationships are intertwined. A young woman accompanies her boyfriend on a visit to the dying mother of his ex-girlfriend. As she watches them play chess together, she sees the man with whom she can grow old. Years later, when her own mother is dying, she will find herself yearning to reach out to the ex-girlfriend and take comfort in that moment from long ago.

Throughout the collection, as the characters reappear, friendships are tested and family secrets are revealed. Dugan explores how each of these women transition from one stage of life to another, the ripple effects of their emotional choices poignantly rising to the surface.