Alice Otto is unquestionably the matriarch on Elizabeth Street, where those with big dreams and dashed hopes end up. Every day is a battle against constant change, but not until now, recognizing in herself the symptoms her grandfather once faced, has Alice encountered a change she cannot combat.

For decades Alice Otto has known every squatter and dweller on Elizabeth Street, and on most days she remembers their names—every Bart, Lila, Gerty, Michael, and Steve. Bart has written a book, stories about all of them, and Lila, long married, has moved overseas. Gerty is dead, Michael never left, and for a decade nobody has heard a thing from Steve.

When Steve unexpectedly returns to Elizabeth Street, Alice takes great comfort in the fact, and as their bond deepens very little stands in their way as they spiral together into hopelessness. Alice yearns for things remembered, and clings to Bart Steyn's book, the line between fact and fiction growing increasingly indistinct, while Steve longs for the love he once shared with Michael.

Brimming with heart and gentle humor, and not wasting a single word, The Thing About Alice is a study in character no reader will easily forget.