Off Her Rocker by Jennifer Archer [Next]

"Sometimes you have to lose your way to find yourself."
Taking her youngest to college sends Dana Logan spiraling into depression. Just who is she now that she has no one who needs her? Always a helicopter mom, clearing the path for her children to have an easy life, she's unsure what to do with herself now that no one needs her to run their life.

After a surprise visit to her son in college ends in the sharp realization that in doing everything, she's done too much - Dana begins the drive home. In the middle of a blizzard. When she gets lost and resorts to peeing in a ditch, her car is stolen, stranding her in a tiny town with only twenty dollars to her name.

She spends the night in jail (as a guest, not an inmate), breaks into a library (to read), and insults the entire town before she meets a family who, with their folklore and wisdom, help her find her way back to herself. Dana finds dreams she'd forgotten and learns her life and worth did not end because her children left home.

Off Her Rocker is a well-crafted bit of story telling that has me believing in the power of the imagination, and just maybe in ghosts. A quick read because of the fast pacing of the scenes, but this book could be savored slowly to enjoy all the emotions stewing in the background. This would be a great gift to a recnt empty nester.