A Little Hope - by Ethan Joella

About the Book

"How do you hold onto hope in a difficult time? In the small city of Wharton, Connecticut, lives are beginning to unravel. A woman loses the love of her life. A son struggles with addiction. A widow misses her late spouse. A husband betrays his wife. At the heart of these interlinking stories is one couple: Freddie and Greg Tyler. Greg has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a brutal form of cancer. He has never been dependent or weak, and wants to overcome this the way he has succeeded at everything else: through grit and determination. But can Greg fight his illness? How will Freddie and their daughter cope if he doesn't? How do the other residents of Wharton learn to live with loss and to find happiness again? A debut that pulls at the heartstrings and immerses readers in a community, A Little Hope broadcasts the joy and hope to be found in the everyday acts of loving, forgiving, and surviving"--

Book Synopsis

A Read with Jenna Bonus Selection

An "immersive...illuminating" (Booklist) and life-affirming novel following the residents of an idyllic Connecticut town over the course of a year, A Little Hope explores the intertwining lives of a dozen neighbors as they confront everyday desires and fears: a lost love, a stalled career, an illness, and a betrayal.

Freddie and Greg Tyler seem to have it all: a comfortable home, a beautiful young daughter, a bond that feels unbreakable. But when Greg is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, the sense of certainty they once knew evaporates. Throughout their town, friends and neighbors face the most difficult of life's challenges and are figuring out how to survive thanks to love, grace, and hope.

"A quietly powerful portrait of small-town life...told with wisdom and tenderness" (Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes) A Little Hope is a deeply resonant debut that immerses the reader in a community and celebrates the importance of small moments of connection.

Review Quotes

Named a Best Book of the year by TODAY.com!

"A surprising page-turner... Its calm wisdom about bearing the toughest losses--sometimes lightened by unexpected gifts--makes this novel a comforting companion for difficult times."
--People
"Poignant and quietly powerful...Joella is particularly deft at deconstructing quiet moments in small-town life and amplifying their significance... more than a tad hopeful."
--New York Times Book Review
"A heartfelt, life-affirming novel."
--Alexandra Daddario, Book of the Month

"An absorbing, propulsive, and elegantly written debut. I absolutely loved it."
--Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Removed
"Forgiveness and redemption are the soul of this novel, but it's the love you will remember long after you put it down."
--Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia and The Shoemaker's Wife
"A quietly powerful portrait of small-town life, about how the private worries and dreams of a set of characters intersect, told with wisdom and tenderness."
--Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes

About the Author

Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at the University of Delaware. He is the author of A Little Hope, which was a Read with Jenna Bonus Selection and A Quiet Life. He lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife and two daughters.