I am Agatha | a novel

For fans of Elizabeth Strout and Sigrid Nunez, a gripping debut novel that combines dark humor with emotional depth, centering around the unforgettable Agatha, whose devotion to a widow suffering from dementia (and intense attachment to her daughter's grave) sparks a radical reconsideration of life, loss, and the aftermath of love. Agatha, a hot-tempered painter fleeing her inner darkness, moves to rural New Mexico to live a secluded life as a small-town woman. There she meets Alice, a meek widow suffering from progressive dementia, who haunts her daughter's grave in her backyard. Despite Agatha's cruelty and extreme aversion to emotion, she surprises herself by falling in love, and her deeply held convictions begin to change. As Alice's condition deteriorates, Agatha plans to live with her in her remote home in Mesa Portales. But when Alice's rebellious son comes up with different ideas, and Alice suddenly disappears, Agatha takes matters into her own hands with the help of her loyal 13-year-old neighbor, two shovels, and her trusty truck, embarking on an unusual mission that raises the question of whether some secrets are better kept buried. Sharp, attentive, possessing an astonishing wit and yet discreet about herself, Agatha is as majestic as the vast landscape over which her adobe country house overlooks. Loosely inspired by the life of Agnes Martin, I, Agatha introduces us to this irascible and unforgettable character, who - over the course of strange and unique days - learns new ways to understand and turn around life and death.