232 pages / 5.50 x 8.50 inches / no illustrations
Penelope Lemon is a recent divorcée, closet Metallica fan, and accidental subversive to all the expectations of suburban motherhood. After ending her marriage with James, a woodsy intellectual who favors silky kimonos too short for his knobby knees, Penelope finds herself, at forty, living with her randy mother in her childhood home. Broke and desperate for work, she waitresses at Coonskins, a frontier-themed restaurant where the decor is heavy on stuffed mammals and discarded peanut shells.
Despite the pitfalls of balancing parental duties, jobs, and the vagaries of middle-age life, Penelope pushes through one obstacle after another, trying to regain her independence. Whether fumbling through the world of online dating; coping with a bullying situation involving her son, Theo, something of a gastric wonder on the school bus; or wrestling with the discovery of nude photos from her carefree college days that are not quite as “artistic” as she remembers, Penelope gradually emerges as a modern-day heroine who navigates the assorted inanities of life with verve and humor.
Audacious and laugh-out-loud funny, Inman Majors’s new novel holds up a fun-house mirror to the relatable challenges of being a single parent in the digital age. All those who live by the beat of their own drum gain a coconspirator, an accomplice, and a champion in the unstoppable Penelope Lemon.
Inman Majors now makes his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the author of five previous novels, including Love’s Winning Plays, The Millionaires, and Penelope Lemon: Game On! He teaches fiction writing at James Madison University.
“A laugh-out-loud-funny tale of misfortune and female friendship, Majors’ latest is a riot from beginning to end.”—Booklist
“Penelope Lemon is a high-spirited character who will keep you laughing.”—Read it Forward
“A light and lively sendup of modern woes. ”—Kirkus Reviews
“As hilarious as she is tough, Penelope is a heroine you can’t help rooting for. She also happens to be a fiercely loving mom with a giant heart. Once again, Inman Majors delivers a wildly entertaining southern tale that’s funny, smart, poignant, and deliciously subversive. ”—Michelle Richmond, author of The Marriage Pact
“Inman Majors is a sparklingly funny, immensely charming writer. Penelope Lemon gives us a hapless, scrappy, lovable heroine to root for and a whole cast of great characters. I hope he writes [a] sequel! ”— ”—Kate Christensen, author of The Last Cruise
“In Penelope Lemon, Inman Majors captures a subversive, outrageously funny middle America. It’s like Bridget Jones’s Diary but with a hilarious, small-town, rocker mother as its lead. I laughed out loud a lot and cheered Penelope every step of the way. ”—John Hart, author of The Hush
“Don't plan on getting anything done once you pick up the funniest book of 2018. ”—CharlotteLit
“Majors’ mixture of 'sinners and saints' in his make-believe town of Hillsboro is a laugh-out-loud read. ”—Memphis Commercial Appeal
“[Majors'] broad sense of humor. . . and willingness to put his characters through rough patches, that are both absurd and hilarious, makes the book a diverting page-turner. ”—Nashville Scene
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