"A promising tale of redemption and perseverance." Publishers Weekly Illumination Book Award Winner - Winner of the Prismatic Prospects Favorite Read Award Quicker than you can say "downsized, unemployed, and divorced," Ally Cervantes finds herself with the Pacific Ocean in her rearview mirror as she and her two children head to Lake Surrender in rural Northern Michigan to live with her aunt. The dry hills of California are a metaphor for her empty soul, but she can't afford to wallow in self-pity with an autistic son who can't make eye contact and a precocious twelve-year-old daughter counting on her to get it together. With no other available jobs, Ally steps through the only open door for employment, working as head cook at a dilapidated Christian camp. Problem is, she doesn't cook and doesn't like religious fanatics. But despite everything, she finds herself strangely hopeful as she learns her journey ends where the lake begins.