Clyde Edgerton

Lunch at the Picadilly

In his eighth deliciously funny novel, Clyde Edgerton introduces us to Lil Olive, who’s recently arrived at the Rosehaven Convalescence Center to recuperate from a bad fall. Lil longs to be back in her own apartment, and since her driver’s license doesn’t expire until her ninety-seventh birthday, she also longs to get back behind the wheel of her sporty ’89 Olds.

To pass the time, Lil strikes up some new friendships with Mrs. Lowe, Mrs. Satterwhite and L. Ray Flowers, the freelance evangelical preacher with fancy white hair. Keeping an eye on all of them is Carl, Lil’s middle-aged bachelor nephew.

But soon Rosehaven is turned upside down. Lil and the girls steal a car and hit the highway. L. Ray’s vision of a national movement to unite churches and nursing homes is embrace by the residences. And then there’s Darla Avery’s dirty little secret, which could spell the end for the visionary preacher.

This book looks at the challenges of aging with sympathy, sensitivity and his trademark sense of humor.

Cylde Edgerton is the author of seven previous novels, including bestsellers Raney and Walking Across Egypt. Five of his novels have been New York Times Notables. An accomplished musician, he performs around the country with his band, Rank Strangers. He’s a professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.