Loose in the Bright Fantastic
is an adult fiction book that will be of interest to readers of women's fiction and family dramas, particularly those who are dealing with "sandwich generation" issues of caring both for growing children and aging parents. Grey-haired Maggie, who is in the early stages of dementia, flees her hospital room and takes refuge in Boston's Public Gardens and later in the squat of a homeless man she befriends. She is looking for something, or trying to stop something, although she cannot always remember exactly what. Her adventures end with her invading a dinner party at a home where she used to live, years before. While all this is going on, her adult children Clair and Roger are interacting with the police and trying to find her -- while dealing with the sale of Maggie's home and the disposal of her possessions, along with their own challenges as a divorced single mother and a closeted gay man. Told with humor and compassion, this is a heartfelt story of family ties that get stretched under duress but never quite break.