In The Lion Is In, Delia Ephron's first novel for adults since Hanging Up, three women seeking escape find themselves with the help of each other, a failing bar and a retired circus lion named Marcel.
Lana has looked out for her best friend Tracee since childhood, but the two young women never expected to find themselves on the run from the law. After they pick up Rita, a middle-aged stranger Lana hopes will provide camouflage from police on the lookout for two women, a car wreck strands all three at The Lion, a rundown bar whose only attraction is an elderly caged lion. Broke and desperate, the trio accepts waitstaff jobs from The Lion's slovenly, depressed owner and try to plan their next move. Instead, luck and love bloom in the most unlikely places as Rita slowly wins the trust of Marcel the lion, Lana tries to face her addiction and Tracee falls for the local driving instructor. Despite the new lives they carve for themselves, though, all three women will have to face their pasts sooner than they think.
Readers seeking a heartfelt, offbeat adventure will adore Ephron's fragile but feisty heroines, each of whom struggles with her own demon: Tracee's kleptomania, Lana's alcoholism and Rita's sense of inferiority. Rita's intuitive ability to reach out to Marcel particularly shines in a series of private bonding moments between woman and lion. The perfect getaway for readers who long to reconnect with their inner selves, this quirky comedy's sense of wonder will delight and inspire. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger, Infinite Reads