Colleen Oakley
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, NeverMore Books, and The Rhett House Inn will host an evening with USA Today bestselling novelist Colleen Oakley, author of the newly released The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise—named a Most Anticipated New Release of 2023 by Southern Living and Today. The $36 registration fee includes a signed copy of the novel, the author’s book talk, refreshments, and music by the Alibis. This special event will be held at The Rhett House Inn (1009 Craven St., Beaufort) on Saturday, April 15, at 5:00-7:00 p.m. Additional copies of the author’s books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books.
Learn more and register in advance at: https://colleenoakleyattherhetthouse.eventbrite.com.
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.
One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.
The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird 
things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m. insisting that they leave town immediately? Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.
NY Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult writes, “You’ll never be able to see what’s coming in this wildly surprising, entertaining ride of a novel—which is a coming-of-age story, a contending-with-age story, and a surprising exploration of how womanhood is a matter of surprising others… and oneself.”
Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch, and Before I Go. Her books have been named best books by People, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and have been long-listed for the Southern Book Prize. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org. and learn more about The Rhett House Inn at www.rhetthouseinn.com.
