Aftershock

Three Disaster Survivors Must Survive Each OtherWisecracking, ineptly lustful Hayden is the disgruntled proofreading coordinator at a large San Francisco leasing company. His big secret is that he's writing a novel that he hopes will change his fortunes. Megan, his prim, overachiever boss, a former editor at a publishing house, has a secret too: she's a closet alcoholic. Jacob, the homeless vet who begs outside their office, once a hopeless drunk himself, wouldn't know and wouldn't care about any office intrigues. That is, until the 1989 earthquake throws all their fates together--in life-altering ways.
The interplay of the irreverent schemer, the guarded alcoholic and the stoic veteran makes for an at times rollicking, at times sad collision of lives, where romances backfire and family secrets are revealed. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes harrowing, the book's themes touch on the AIDS crisis, corporate vacuity, family dramas, awkward sex--and even the Bronte sisters. Through the fragile fault lines of these rocky relationships runs loss, humor, and the longing for connection.