Karla Huebner Knihy

Set against the backdrop of the Trump era and climate crisis, two friends, Jacobine Flaa and her idealistic companion Cinda, grapple with the challenges of aging and financial constraints as they contemplate relocating to the western United States. Their desire to return home clashes with the harsh reality of soaring housing prices, prompting a deeper exploration of friendship, dreams, and the impact of socio-political issues on personal lives.

Why, the rather staid young cellist Sarah wonders, should her aunt rent their spare room to the perhaps unstable Kari Zilke? Like the nephew in Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf, Sarah finds herself taking an unexpected interest in the lodger, but she is unable to stop at providing a mere introduction to Kari's narrative of mid-life crisis and self-discovery, and develops her own more troubled tale of personal angst and growth, entwined with the account Kari herself purportedly left behind. Generational tensions, artistic collaborations, and even a romance steeped in Greek myth follow as Kari and Sarah pursue their very different creative paths in theater and music. And while Kari seems to blossom post-divorce, Sarah must grapple with the question of what the role of mothers, fathers, aunts, mentors, and male collaborators should be in her life as a young musician.