Paige Moresco has been at odds in the two years since she lost her husband Jesse. They had a very happy life together, their difficult childhoods merging into a very controlled life of comfort and peace. They worked very hard to create and maintain an adulthood where they could feel safe and make a good future for their son Trey. But Jesse's death sent Paige reeling, her carefully ordered world now just an empty shell.
To make matters worse, Paige feels like her job is being threatened. After working for 17 years at Giacomo Advertising and Design, owner Frank Giacomo suffered a massive heart attack and now his son has taken over. Lukas has ideas to remake the agency in a hipster way, under the expertise of the New York Times bestselling author Petra Polly. Her book, The Petra Principles for the New, New Creative Workplace: A Primer for More Than Success, is the cornerstone that Lukas was using to re-create the agency, now named G, pronounced "guh," and his ideas may not leave enough space for all the employees that Frank Sr. had on his payroll. Paige, as one of the oldest, is concerned about how she fits in to this new idea of a company.
Trey, her teenaged son, is also struggling. He's wanting to study art after high school, but Paige is trying to encourage him to be more practical. But he won't graduate unless he takes driver's ed, which he's refusing to do, his father's deadly car accident too much on his mind. So when he starts spending a lot of time at his friend Colin's house, Paige worries that she's losing him too.
One night, with the help of a bottle of wine, Paige gets fed up with it all and can't think of anything to do. So she starts digging. She realizes how good it feels, so she keeps digging. After a week of looking at the big hole in her backyard, she realizes what she wants is a garden in her backyard. Planting the seeds for change and growth in her own life, she plants tomatoes in her backyard, discovering that there is lots of help around her when she needs it.
With lots of heart and soul, Loretta Nyhan brings to life a story of hope and healing, of family and love and grief. Digging In is a charming novel that reminds us what's truly important in life and what's manure. With lots of insight into human nature and nurture, Nyhan reminds us that pain doesn't have to be permanent, that change can be a good thing, and that what looks at first like a mistake could just be a first step to a new beginning.
I loved Digging In. It's a lovely novel filled with honesty, humor, genuineness, and heart. With interesting characters and lots of charm, I got sucked in early and just kept going. I especially enjoyed the dichotomy between the traditional workplace and the idea of work that this new generation is bringing to the table. But the real soul of this book comes from Paige and her relationships, and how those relationships help her find her new equilibrium and open up to a new life.
Galleys for Digging In were provided by Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.