Dear Virginia, Wait for Me

“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