New Release: Hope for the Worst by Kate Brandt

Spotlight

Congratulations to Kate Brandt and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Hope for the Worst, a novel that asks how far we will go for love, and what happens when we reach our limit.

"A novel with many lessons for living, rendered in beautiful form." ~Jimin Han, author of A Small Revolution


Hope for the Worst by Kate Brandt

NEW RELEASE: March 7, 2023
From $5.99  

Ellie is twenty-four years old, stuck in a dead-end job, and questioning the meaning of life when she meets the much older Calvin. It’s as if her deepest wish has been granted. Star of the Buddhist teaching circuit in New York’s Greenwich Village, his wisdom is exactly what she’s been seeking.

When she becomes the center of his attention, it’s almost pure bliss…until it becomes clear that Calvin expects sex as part of the bargain. At first reluctant, Ellie gradually falls ever more deeply in love, until Calvin is all she can think about.

Calvin’s lectures stress the Buddhist concept of non-attachment, but that doesn’t salve her wounds when he abandons her. Suddenly alone, Ellie must find a way to heal from her loss—but not before devotion to her teacher takes her halfway across the world to Tibet, and puts her life in real danger.
 
Praise for Hope for the Worst
“A thrilling journey into the heart of Buddhist thought on pain, truth, and desire. This story will pull you deep into the thorny beauty of American Buddhism—and leave you wondering and moved.” ~Blair Hurley, author of The Devoted

“A novel that speaks to our moment: how do we live? how not to suffer? how to be where we are? This remarkable story allows us to see our own lives with new eyes.” ~Kathleen Hill, author of She Read to Us in the Late Afternoons

“A tale of high ideas and high longing, with an untrustworthy guru and New York in its most desperate years...a riveting book that will make its mark on all readers.” ~Joan Silber, author of The Secrets of Happiness and Improvement
 
“Pulses with vivid observations of what we do in the search for love...a novel with many lessons for living, rendered in beautiful form.” ~Jimin Han, author of The Apology and A Small Revolution

About the Author
Kate Brandt’s work has appeared in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Literary Mama, The Westchester Review, Ginosko, and Redivider, among other journals. She teaches adult literacy students in New York City and lives in Westchester County, New York. Learn more at katebrandt.net.
About the Publisher
Vine Leaves Press likes to blur the line between commercial and experimental works. They publish book-length vignette collections, writing reference books, short story collections, memoir/autobiography, and character-driven novels with a literary bent.​ Subscribe to the Vine Leaves Press newsletter to receive FREE advanced review copies of upcoming new releases, news about their authors and subscribers, and/or to read the monthly opinion column, SPILL IT! or a daily dose of 50-word stories. Learn more at vineleavespress.com


Older Post Newer Post