Where the Sky Used to Be

In this literary novel by Zelda Leah Gatuskin, young artists find themselves, lose their innocence, challenge authority and confront harsh realities in a southwestern college town at the end of the twentieth century. Their impassioned, expansive lives are contrasted with the contained drama of ninety-one-year-old Muffin living out her final months in a nursing home. When Claire and her best friend Lydia reluctantly take on "the Muffin project" for the summer, they soon find themselves attached to Muffin and other residents of Westcare Manor. While teens and seniors bond, teens and parents clash; and Muffin and her aging daughter Jo battle on in their own way. The concerns and relationships of four generations of women are brought into sharp focus. The thread that connects all is art and its power to expose, express, inspire and heal. For young adults and up. Finalist, NM-AZ Book Awards.