Fret: A Novel

A propulsive and incisive novel: a frazzled mother of two’s precarious situation is made more so when her idling car is stolen — with her young daughter still in it — and all her life choices, both big and small, are opened up to the scrutiny of the internet, her community, and ultimately, herself.

“Nadia Bozak is a tremendous talent.” — Zoe Whittall, author of The Fake

Once a rising star of indie rock, Kate is now a middle-aged single mom living far out of the spotlight. Everything changes for her when an unprecedented heat wave and a stolen car set off a chain of events that threaten to upend her new, peaceful life. Fired from her job, separated from her children, and overwhelmed by public shaming, Kate must navigate the cold realities of the child welfare and family court systems while struggling to stay cool in an increasingly unbearable world.

Determined to rebuild, Kate finds herself forging new connections and fostering a sense of community — something she hasn’t felt since her music career ended in disaster more than a decade before. As Kate finds a new voice, she makes her way back to her children and her love of music, and steps closer to reconciling with her former bandmate and arch-rival: her little sister.

If building community is Kate’s way of reckoning with the mistakes of her past, can it also be a way to mitigate the deeper, more urgent issues and structural injustices that threaten our future?