ALICE AND OLIVER

Alice Culvert is a force: passionate, independent, and smart. To her delight, she attracts attention wherever she goes, even amid the buzz of mid-nineties New York. In knee-high boots, with her newborn daughter strapped to her chest, at just a glance Alice is obviously, vividly alive. Which makes her cancer diagnosis feel impossible. How could such a woman not go on? But all at once, Alice's existence, and that of her husband, Oliver, is reduced to a single purpose: survival. As they combat the disease, navigate a labyrinthine healthcare system, and absorb the best intentions of loved ones, the couple also must confront the deep, dangerous stressors that threaten to pull them apart. Inspired by his own story, Charles Bock writes with humor, wisdom, and love about one family's unforgettable journey.

Charles Bock is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel, Beautiful Children, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and won the Sue Kaufman Award for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His nonfiction and fiction have been in Harper's, Esquire, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, AGNI, The Iowa Review, and Slate, among many others. He has had fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Yaddo, UCross, and the Vermont Studio Center. He teaches at Columbia in New York City.