“An emotional powerhouse of a novel. Strawser’s tale of guilt, blame, redemption, and forgiveness is a must-read.”
-Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of A Sudden Light and The Art of Racing in the Rain
“ALMOST MISSED YOU is a skillful, insightful debut: a deft exploration of the mysteries of marriage, the price we pay for our secrets, and just how easy it is to make the worst choices imaginable.”
-Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Sandcastle Girls and Midwives“The sensational debut novel of a marriage in crisis with elements of daring, danger, mystery and secrets.”
-Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens
“Jessica Strawser writes from the heart.”
-Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Most Wanted
August 2010: Cincinnatians Finn and Violet have a flirtatious encounter on a Florida beach, but circumstances beyond their control permit them from learning each other’s names. Upon returning home, Finn decides to take fate into his own hands and posts a brief message on the Cincinnati Craigslist Missed Connections page. Four days later, he receives a response: Okay stranger, I’ll bite. Let’s see if I am your me and you are my you. Fountain Square, Saturday, 7:00? But it’s not Violet who answers his message. It’s Maribel. The two fall madly in love and, in the months after, become engaged to be married.
August 2016: Violet is sitting on a Florida beach—a book in one hand, a piña colada in the other—and enjoying the rare and blissful stillness around her in the hour after Finn took their beloved son, Bear, up to their hotel room for his daily nap. But when Violet returns and opens the door to their room she finds that every trace of her husband and son are gone. As if they’d never been there at all.