Inflating a Dog

Ella Leroy dreams of escaping the dreary routine of her 1950s wife-and-mom life. Without telling her husband, she enlists her son Peter and his locally-notorious girlfriend Patti in a scheme to buy a run-down clamboat and re-invent it as an elegant cruising vessel for summer people in the bayside town of Babbington, Long Island. But after they’ve bought the boat, Peter discovers that it is slowly sinking. “A cheeky, amusing look at the nature of the entrepreneurial dream. Another memorable installment in [Kraft’s] innovative series. Publishers Weekly “Sentimental, loving, raucous, wise, and great fun, this is simply not to be missed.” Booklist (starred review) A hilarious riff on Don Quixote, on the desire for fame, the need for success, the power of fantasy. Boston Globe Provocative, poignant and deeply satisfying . . . especially in lyrical passages that epitomize the secret dreams and yearnings of a soul in the making, a fool for beauty. Memphis Commercial Appeal