“Portia Kane, Official Member of the Human Race! This card entitles you to ugliness and beauty, heartache and joy—the great highs and lows of existence—and everything in between. It also guarantees you the right to strive, to reach, to dream, and to become the person you know (deep down) you are meant to be. So make daring choices, work hard, enjoy the ride, and remember—you become exactly whomever you choose to be.”

Card from Mr. Vernon to all his students.

Portia Kane can no longer stomach  her comfortable life of wealth and leisure with her unfaithful pornographer husband. Dramatically, she storms out of her marriage and reluctantly  returns home to her mentally ill mother to try to figure out where she went wrong and how to start over. The one person who truly ever believed in her was her high school teacher Mr. Vernon. But after tracking him down, she finds out he is no longer the person she remembered and is, in fact, a bitter recluse. With dark humor and the philosophical musings of his quirky characters, Matthew Quick has once again written a novel about being brave and persevering even in the face of the ugliest sides of humanity. Above all, he has written a love letter to teachers whose powerful influence on their students can last a lifetime.

I love Matthew Quick’s view of the world and am always inspired by his books. Love May Fail would be a great gift for your favorite teacher!