Mina once had a life as a consultant that checked all the boxes of success: a cushy income, vacations to exotic destinations, such incredible prestige. She’s left all that behind to live in a small flat in Edinburgh, making just enough on freelance work to get by, determined to truly live a happy life; all it takes, she’s decided, is a combination of antidepressants, jiu jitsu lessons, and indulgent sex. But when she joins a local sauna and meets an eccentric older woman whose life is falling apart, while also dealing with an aging and terminal client, the purpose of Mina’s life suddenly, and very brightly, comes into focus. 

Nayeri explores the ache for something more than the hamster wheel, the disappointments of love, the ludicrousness of middle-age fulfillment, and the monumental surprises that a life can bring with tenderness and wit and intelligence. For fans of Miranda July, Caroline O’Donogue, and Catherine Newman, Nayeri puts one singular woman at the center as she attempts to seize all she can out of life not just for herself, but for everyone around her.