Penny Sinclair is ready to downsize and get on with her life as a divorced, empty nester. Once her daughter’s backyard wedding is over, she’s putting the family house she got in the divorce on the market and plans to start looking for a condo in downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, life intervenes. Soon after the wedding, Penny finds herself still in the house due to some additional house guests - her parents and her ex-husband. Having everyone move back in is not at all how Penny saw her immediate future playing out. By the Numbers is an engaging, funny story about a “mature” woman who, despite having adult children and an ex-husband, still has dreams for herself after the path of her life abruptly shifts. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Penny’s life, with all of the generational differences among the characters and the funny instances of life that happen to us all. (LEK)
By the Numbers, by Jen Lancaster, is about the pressures of being part of the 'sandwich generation'. The summary says: "Actuary Penny Sinclair has a head for business, and she always makes rational decisions. Knowing that 60 per cent of spouses cheat and 50 per cent of marriages end in divorce, she wasn't too surprised when her husband had an affair. (That he did so with a woman their daughter's age? Well, that part did sting a bit.) She just made sure she got everything in the divorce, including their lovely old Victorian house. And as soon as her younger daughter has her hipster-fabulous wedding in the backyard, she's trading it in for a condo in downtown Chicago... Well within the average market time in her area, Penny gets an offer on the house. But then life happens. Her children, her parents and her ex come flying back to the nest, all in need of Penny's emotional - and financial - support. Spread thin, Penny becomes the poster child for the 'sandwich generation', when all she really wanted to do was make managing director, buy a white couch, and maybe go on a Match.com date." By the Numbers is out in June 2016.