Black Olives — Martha Tod Dudman

I turn my head and stare up at the roof of the truck cab. He has no idea I'm here, and I don't know where he's going.


Upon a chance sighting of her ex-boyfriend, Virginia does something most of us have only dreamed of. Unseen, she jumps into the back of his Jeep, and remains hidden all day, observing the man she once loved. She's compelled to complete her unfinished portrait of their breakup, and relive the magical thinking of their romance.


I knew him by heart for ten years and he me, Vir-ginia reflects. And now, only nine months later, I know nothing at all.


The novel unfolds over the course of one day, ping-ponging between Virginia's fear of discovery and the illicit thrill of "breaking and entering" into the life of her former lover.


Will she finally confront him, as she's longed to do since they parted? Will she slink away in defeat? Any woman who has ever lived and loved will find herself swept up in Virginia's mesmerizing journey.