Blame

A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.


A woman faces the many complicated consequences of a drunk-driving accident in Michelle Huneven's gripping third novel, Blame.


Patsy MacLemoore, a twenty-eight-year-old history professor with a brand-new Ph.D. and a wild streak, wakes up in jail—yet again—after another epic alcoholic blackout. This time, though, a mother and daughter are dead, run over in Patsy's driveway. Patsy will the next decades of her life atoning for this unpardonable act. She goes to prison, sobers up, marries a much older man she meets in AA, and makes ongoing amends to her victims' family. Then, another piece of news turns up, casting her crime, and her life, in a different and unexpected light. Brilliant, morally complex, and often funny, Blame is a breathtaking story of contrition and what it takes to rebuild a life from the bottom up.

A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year | O, the OprahMagazine Best Book of the Year | Washington Post Best Book of the Year | Kansas City Star Best Books of the Year