Dear Virginia, Wait for Me - by Marcia Butler (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A sensitive portrait of a vulnerable yet resilient young woman who, with the help of an inner voice and newfound friends, attempts to find her way at the turn-of-the-millennium Manhattan.

For as long as she can remember, Peppa Ryan has been guided by a benevolent voice in her head who she believes is Virginia Woolf. Though she's an exceptionally bright twenty-year-old, she suffers from crippling low self-esteem and has barely left her parents' ramshackle home in Queens, New York City.

At the turn of the millennium, Peppa is caught between her father's wishes for her to run the family business and her mother's mental illness. In spite of these pressures, she bravely ventures out on her own to start a job at a Wall Street investment firm. But her parents continue to pull strings, insisting she date a handsome plumber in the hopes that she'll abandon her job and return to her roots. Peppa plans to immediately dismiss him, but to her surprise they discover an unlikely bond over a shared love of Virginia Woolf. With the encouragement of her kindhearted boss, his eccentric client, and the voice of Virginia, Peppa gains confidence and begins to thrive in her new life.

Then, when Peppa discovers a betrayal by her family, she suffers a breakdown. And on one crisp and clear autumn morning, as she slowly recovers, Peppa finds herself on the path to reconciliation.

For those who loved Where'd You Go, Bernadette, The Remedy for Love, or And Then We Came to The End, this is a sensitive coming-of-age novel of a fragile yet brilliant young woman who, like Virginia Woolf, is determined to carve her unique path in life.

Review Quotes

"As her fairy-tale-like name would suggest, Peppa is a winsome and beguiling heroine, and Butler (Oslo, Maine, 2021) treats her experiences of self-doubt and powerlessness with perceptive empathy." -- Booklist

"Full of wit, charm, and its fair share of everything bagels, Marcia Butler's moving book manages to be a warm and generous New York novel while grappling with the ghosts of childhood trauma, lost literary heroes, and societal definitions of "madness". Her protagonist believes she's being guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf, but it is Butler's voice -- comforting and astute, alive to the music of kindness as well as betrayal -- that holds you to the end." -- Jonathan Lee, author of High Dive and The Great Mistake

"What does it mean to hear voices? Dear Virginia, Wait for Me is an original, poignant, and, yes, playful novel that deals with mental health, hidden supports, and the joys of love and abiding friendship. A vibrant book full of charms and surprises." -- Joan Silber, author of Secrets of Happiness and Improvement

"Sometimes, all I want is to be immersed in a world in which the heroine embraces her own quirky brilliance while learning to accept help and love, and, in doing so, redefines family as a way of finding home. Enter Marcia Butler's Dear Virginia, Wait For Me, a compelling, sweet, surprising novel with the unworldly and wise Peppa Ryan as its beating heart. I read it in just two sittings, rushing to know how it ends but wishing it would just keep going." -- Lori Ostlund, author of Are You Happy? and After the Parade

"As a book populated by those you would gladly share any given evening with, this story would happily grace the time spent. Protagonist Peppa Ryan finds friendship in a way she never could have planned, or even imagined. Better yet, as someone who has never been truly heard, she listens to an inner voice both known and mysterious, and it becomes the key to her very survival. This wonderful novel has changed how, who and what I listen to. May it be that book for you." -- Gil Gross, broadcast journalist, CBS News

"Cinematic and evocative, Dear Virginia, Wait For Me explores the serendipity in unexpected, life-altering friendships. With empathy and wit, Marcia Butler introduces us to characters that are simultaneously quirky and relatable, and an expansive New York City ripe with opportunity. Butler's page-turning prose compels us to explore the power of humor and hope in the face of despair." -- Keren Blankfeld, author of Lovers in Auschwitz

"Enchanting and evocative; every young woman who has struggled to find her true voice in a changing world will see herself in Peppa Ryan." -- Jessica Handler, author of The Magnetic Girl

"In this tender tale of familial and romantic love, Butler brings to life a quirky young woman, who has the gift of exceptional sensitivity and intelligence, but is trapped by her family's suffocating possessiveness and her own insecurity. Peppa is also audio clairvoyant, who in a delightful narrative twist, hears the voice of her heroine, Virginia Woolf, guiding and nurturing her across the barrier of time as Peppa wrestles to love on her own terms and become her authentic self in the 21st century." -- Jessica Brilliant Keener, author of Strangers in Budapest, an Indie Next Pick and SIBA bestseller

About the Author

Marcia Butler is a former professional oboist, interior designer, filmmaker, acclaimed memoirist, and author of two novels. Her third novel, Dear Virginia, Wait for Me, was inspired by the notion that everyone has conversations going on in their head. This can be slightly irritating, quite annoying, or in the case of mental illness, the voices often take control and destroy a person's entire life. What would happen if a young girl relied on the benevolent voice in her head to guide her, and what if that voice was Virginia Woolf? After many decades in New York City, Marcia now makes her home in New Mexico.