Verge

Claire McMinn has three goals: to stay sober, to stay away from sex, and to get into film school. She's already adept at surviving her crazed family, rescuing (and seducing) her best friend, and pretending to ignore the advice of her sponsor-a gay man, impervious, fortunately, to all her charms.

As "Verge "begins, Claire's last goal is jeopardized when a past affair with a professor's wife catches up with her and she is kicked out of his class.

In her quest to obtain a video camera to complete the course work on her own, she is introduced to Sister Hilary, the nun who runs a local community center. Claire leaves their meeting with a volunteer job at Sister Hilary's agency, a chance to make a documentary about it, and a tangle of complications.

"Verge "is a novel of self-forgiveness and growth if not redemption, a tale of developing vision if not romance, and is more of a testament to the importance of community and friendship than a tale of a dysfunctional family. And it's a very satisfying read.

"Verge "will appeal to readers who are interested in spirituality, addiction recovery, the madcap humor of gay/lesbian AA, the creative arts, and the lives of twenty-first-century nuns, as well as the trials and tribulations-and adventures-of contemporary lesbians.

Z Egloff was born in California, raised in the Midwest, and schooled (academically and otherwise) in Amherst, Massachusetts, and on Cape Cod. "Verge "is her first novel.