“A song by Sheryl Crow might be the backing track for Wendy Blackburn's debut novel, Beachglass, a tender, terrifying chronicle of the wages of modern-day sin and the hope of the world to come. Addiction and recovery are broken lands strewn with the explosives of sentimentality and exaggeration, but Blackburn's sure hand avoids both to tell a story that rings with grief and triumph.” —Jacquelyn Mitchard, author, The Deep End of the Ocean and Still Summer

“With richly textured scenes and characters, Wendy Blackburn's debut novel explores the fragile world of addiction, recovery, and loss. She navigates this tough territory effortlessly and with the clear-headed vision of one who's been there. Delicately portraying friendship and loss, temptation and redemption, the turmoil of addiction and the hard-won gifts of recovery, Beachglass is highly recommended for every reader and required reading for all those in recovery.” —Martha O'Connor, author of The Bitch Posse

“Set in a glittering, gritty, late-80s Los Angeles, Beachglass is a beautifully written novel, which, at its heart, is about friendship and the way in which it both strengthens and tests us. Though this story made me weep, it helped me see--through my tears just how messy and miraculous the human condition can be.” —Rebecca Agiewich, author of BreakupBabe

“Blackburn…obviously knows her material: The AA meetings and late-night coffee and cigarette klatches ring so true that the tobacco smoke practically wafts off the page.” —Kirkus Reviews

“...a deeply affecting, hard-hitting story...Richly imagined and full of vivid characters...” —Seattle Times

“Beachglass takes you into the rooms of AA and rehab with the startling, powerful clarity of one who knows this precarious terrain all too well. A new and promising talent, Wendy Blackburn writes with a refreshing sense of honesty, hope, and renewal.” —James Brown, author of The Los Angeles Diaries

“A vibrant, engaging, and utterly honest book...this is a novel which seems to be about recovery but is really about so much more: friendship, chosen families, and the transformative power of human love.” —Nicole Mones, author of Lost in Translation

“Wendy Blackburn's Beachglass paints an insightful portrait of not only a recovering addict, but of those who love her parents, spouse, child, and friends. Addicts often claim, "It's my life." But truly, their addiction touches a wide circle of people around them, as Beachglass so poignantly illustrates. Kudos to Blackburn for a fine debut novel.” —Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank

“One of the book's strengths is the characters' emotions and their collective let-the-truth-come-out nature. You will finish the novel with a sense of how truth, past dependency and all, can lighten the heart and mind rather than trouble it.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“A richly poignant first novel.” —Booklist

“Beachglass is not just for those interested in the subject of recovery from addiction, it's for everyone who loves a powerful story, colorful characters, a believably solid plot, and absolutely delicious writing. It's one of the most poignant portrayals of recovery that I have ever read.” —Neil Scott, Producer and host of talk radio show Recovery Coast to Coast