As Peg approaches middle age, her life is becoming chaotic. Her subpar husband has decided to leave and seek divorce. Her kids, in late high school and college, are approaching more independence and want little to do with her. A new colleague in her real-estate firm begins stealing her work. All these dynamics compound to bring out the worst in Peg. A drinking habit increases, and she makes the mistake of driving to the store to buy more wine after drinking a bottle. She’s driving off her friends and clearly needs a new equilibrium. Menopausal symptoms seem to amplify each mistake and certainly don’t help rein her worst impulses. What is to become of her?
She does find redemption… eventually… but she must first learn some truth-telling. She also needs some perspective. Thankfully, a mandatory community service project at an abused women’s shelter brings just that. She sees women whose lives have fallen apart due to no fault of their own. Only these women have less resources than Peg does. She also learns to learn from their resilience instead of viewing them as charity cases or victims.
From there, life or God or the universe takes its course. Oppressive circumstances rarely compound forever, especially to someone willing to make the most of their opportunities. She finds compassion – mostly for herself – and a resolve to rebound. New friends rally around her to teach her new perspectives. There’s even a spark of a new love interest in her fate! Menopause, an easy target to blame, becomes something that she can deal with instead of a dominating adversary.
This book is light enough to keep the pages turning quickly while meaningful enough to avoid becoming mere fluff. It’s an easy summer read by the pool, on a vacation, or at the beach. (And yes, the novel’s setting is in a beach town.) It’s a redemption tale more than a romantic comedy, but it has all the signs of a classical comedy: a positive, happy outcome at the end! For readers who are always looking for a little self-improvement along with a page turner, Peg, Unhinged provides good fodder to inspire the heart.
Peg, Unhinged: A Novel
By Teri M. Brown
Copyright (c) 2026
Atmosphere Press
ASIN B0GTML786F
Page Count: 370
Genre: Fiction
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