Wish You Were Here

A very poignant book on the human spirit's ability to bounce back during difficult times.

Diana O'Toole is going just as planned. She'll climb the professional ladder in the competitive world of art auctions, get married by the age of thirty, be childless by the age of thirty-five, and relocate to the suburbs of New York City. Though she isn't engaged yet, she is aware that her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is going to pop the question a few days before her thirtyth birthday on their romantic trip to the Galápagos. Just in time.

On the eve of their departure, Finn delivers the news that all hands are on deck at the hospital due to a virus that seemed like it was miles away from the city. He must remain behind. He tells her that you should still go since it would be a waste of their nonrefundable vacation money. She then unwillingly leaves.

Diana's ideal vacation promptly goes wrong. She is stuck here until the borders reopen since the whole island is now under quarantine. She's all alone and has to go beyond her comfort zone. Despite her father's mistrust of strangers, Diana gradually forges a bond with a local family after a youngster with a secret opens up to her.

Diana finds herself reflecting on her relationships, decisions, and self, and she starts to question whether she will have changed so much as a person by the time she returns home.