Empathetic and captivating. Frank Bascombe is now 55 years old - he looks forward to the next, quieter phase of life with his beautiful beach villa and his second wife, Sally. Bascombe has accomplished a lot; his life is organized and fulfilling. However, a marital crisis and a cancer diagnosis shake everything to its core. How solid the ground beneath his feet truly is must suddenly be reassessed with every step he takes. Frank Bascombe, the nice, sensible neighbor, takes stock of his life. He describes the state of his life and the coast of New Jersey with sharp detail and great humor. He reflects on letting go and loss, on his own life's achievements and transience - and on hope, because after all the seismic upheavals that this novel portrays so magnificently, empathetically, and compellingly, Frank still has much ahead of him.