In POLK GULCH we meet Wally, and instantly fall in love/like with him. He lives his life certain that each day is his last. His grim outlook is softened by his love for his wife, a woman so different than he that their paths would probably not cross in real life. But meet her he does and his life is brighter.....but then his grim predictions come true, except it is his wife who dies, leaving him in a state worse than death.
The back story, characters, even the city of San Fransisco are all melded into an absolutely wonderful story about life, love and loss.

Polk Gulch is a reflection on loss and grief. In an opposites-attract relationship, Wally (Software sales) and Julie (band rising to fame) share their life in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco. Wally’s neurosis has left him believing that catastrophe will befall him at any moment . He constantly dreams/imagines his death and attempts to keep his affairs in order, so his wife is not burdened when he is gone. When tragedy flips the script, we are taken on an exploration on how to exist in the world when your other half does not. This short novel offers a beautifully composed look at how loss and grief ebbs and flows. This book also managed to highlight the way that friends drag you through the trenches to get you to the other side, the best way they know how. I love that this book was a short, fast-paced novel but still managed to offer character and relationship growth. The grief is paced to the character instead of rushing to make it all better by the end of the book. I love the underlying message of the only way out is through.