Inheriting Edith: A Novel

A poignant breakout novel, for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan and Elin Hilderbrand, about a single mother who inherits a beautiful beach house with a caveat—she must take care of the ornery elderly woman who lives in it.

For years, Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance. A house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: The deceased’s eighty-two-year old mother Edith.

Edith has Alzheimer’s—or so the doctors tell her—but she remembers exactly how her daughter Liza could light up a room, or bring dark clouds in her wake. And now Liza’s gone, by her own hand, and Edith has been left—like a chaise or strand of pearls—to a poorly dressed young woman with a toddler in tow.

Maggie and Edith are both certain this arrangement will be an utter disaster. But as summer days wane, a tenuous bond forms, and Edith, who feels the urgency of her diagnosis, shares a secret that she’s held close for five decades, launching Maggie on a mission that might just lead them each to what they are looking for.

For years Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies, leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance: a house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: the deceased’s eighty-two-year-old mother, Edith.

Edith has Alzheimer’s—or so the doctors tell her—but she remembers exactly how her daughter, Liza, could light up a room or bring dark clouds in her wake. And now Liza’s gone, by her own hand, and Edith has been left—like a chaise or strand of pearls—to a poorly dressed young woman with a toddler in tow.

Maggie and Edith are both certain this arrangement will be an utter disaster. But as summer days wane, a tenuous bond forms and Edith, who feels the urgency of her diagnosis, shares a secret that she’s held close for five decades, launching Maggie on a mission that might just lead them each to what they are looking for.

“At turns funny and poignant, Driving Lessons is a refreshingly honest and insightful story of a woman whose questions about the direction of her life follow her from the big city to small country roads.” - Meg Donohue, author of All The Summer Girls

Praise for Driving Lessons: “A charming and warm story about new adventures and old friends and how this likable heroine learns to embrace them both.” - Shelly Noble, NYT bestselling author of Beach Colors

“Insightful and emotionally astute…Fishman demonstrates a rare gift for illuminating the interior lives of women with honesty, generosity and a whole lot of heart.” - Jillian Medoff, bestselling author of Hunger Point

“Zoe Fishman’s INHERITING EDITH is a tragicomic delight, pairing single mother and professional house cleaner Maggie with prickly, resentful, 82-year-old Edith, thrown together in a Sag Harbor beach house after Edith’s famous author daughter Liza takes her own life--and bequeaths the house and her mother to Maggie, her former friend and employee. Fishman deftly explores the intricate territory of mother-daughter relationships as well as the haunting specter of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis for famously independent Edith. Throw in winsome toddler Lucy, the hilarious meddling of best friend/yenta Esther, and an intriguing potential suitor in the form of a local toy store owner, and you have a delicious literary chicken soup for the soul.” - Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of THE WEEKENDERS

“A heartbreaking story about life, love, and friendship that you’ll want to devour in one sitting.” - Erin Duffy, author of BOND GIRL and LOST ALONG THE WAY

“A beautifully crafted story about second chances and life’s big surprises. Warm spirited and emotionally rich, INHERITING EDITH celebrates the fine line between friendship and family. These characters will tug at your heart.” - Jamie Brenner, author of The Wedding Sisters

“Inheriting Edith is a beautifully written story about what it means to remember and what it means to forget. Fishman masterfully portrays both a single mother and an older woman with Alzheimer’s, as they are both struggling to come to terms with their pasts, their futures, and each other. I loved this compelling and achingly real novel about friendship, family and second chances.” - Jillian Cantor, author of MARGOT and THE HOURS COUNT