Present Tense Machine: A Novel

This is a delightfully odd book. It is about a woman who is reading a book, and misreads a word, thus inventing a new word that has never existed before. The sudden existence of this new word spawns a new alternate reality where she does not have a daughter. In the new daughterless reality, she

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feels like there is something missing, but she doesn't know what. In that other world, her daughter continues to exist, but lives a completely different life without her mother. The book alternates between the two realities, where both women grapple with the feeling that there is something wrong while negotiating relationships with mothers, daughters, and spouses.

The narrator intrudes often, in very delightful ways, sometimes even daring to knock on the doors of her characters.

As much as the book explores loss, it is also full of joy. It's a quirky and interesting read.

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