Author Description

Vanessa, at the "fragile" age of 44, suddenly finds herself alone at home. Her kids, now grown, have gone off to study. Her husband has just moved out to live with his mistress. Vanessa can't help laughing at her predicament. Free at last! Stuck with a dead-end job and living a dull, gray life, she is terrified of ending up as most of the women her age: watching soap operas and gossiping. Instinctively aware she needs a change, Vanessa makes some clumsy attempts like coloring her hair red, getting a new wardrobe, and looking for another job. She also decides to make a trip to Zidney, and thus meets Nigel--young, irresistible Nigel--who, in an instant, with his flashing black eyes and "lost boy" looks, sweeps her off her feet. For a while it seems their romance will last forever. Then tragedy strikes, and Vanessa's dull gray life threatens to consume her once again. But is it a man what she truly needs, or is this just a "mask" for a much deeper void that lies within?