MAKING HER DEBUT


The Art of Adapting, the debut novel by Cassandra Dunn, is about a woman having to adjust to life after divorce with the help of her brother, who has Asperger's syndrome. The summary says: "Seven months after her husband leaves her, Lana is still reeling. Being single means she is in charge of every part of her life, and for the first time in nineteen years, she can do things the way she always wanted to do them. But that also leaves her with all the responsibility. With two teenage children - Byron and Abby, who are each dealing with their own struggles - in a house she can barely afford on her solo salary, her new life is a balancing act made even more complicated when her brother Matt moves in. Matt has Asperger's syndrome, which makes social situations difficult for him and flexibility and change nearly impossible. He only eats certain foods in a certain order and fixates on minor details. When Lana took him in, he was self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to numb his active mind enough to sleep at night. Adding Matt's regimented routine to her already disrupted household seems like the last thing Lana needs, but her brother's unique attention to detail makes him an invaluable addition to the family: he sees things differently."

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