Seeing Joy

by Alexandra Grabbe

Beatrice, one of America’s first career women, is still feisty at ninety-six. She lives with her daughter Alexandra, who has moved to Cape Cod to care for Bea while running a bed-and-breakfast out of their beloved old house. Like so many adult children caring for elderly parents, Alexandra must balance her new job as caregiver with her role as daughter—and it isn’t easy. Bea is demanding and very verbal. Her mind is like a fireworks display on a drizzly Fourth of July—some shots fizzle out, but there are still bits of brilliance. After a knee ailment confines Bea to bed, it becomes clear her life will soon end. Convinced nothing comes next, Bea declares she doesn’t want to die. When deceased friends and family start “visiting” Bea’s bedroom, Alexandra wonders if her mom is hallucinating. Or could these visits have deeper meaning? Bea entertains her “guests” by hosting tea parties and reliving treasured memories. She reveals an unexpected kind of joy to Alexandra—a joy that brings peace and chases away the fear of death as they experience their final days together.

236 pages, Hardcover

Published March 23, 2026

About the author

I love to escape into a good book. My preference goes to literary fiction.

I used to be an innkeeper and wrote an e-guide for Cape Cod visitors but never created a paper version. I prefer the feeling of holding a real book to e-publishing. When I borrow a library book and fall in love with it, I immediately buy a copy. I especially enjoy historical novels.

Among my favorite authors: John Updike and Lauren Groff. Again, what I care about is the quality of the writing and the attention paid to historical detail.. Recent books I have especially enjoyed, The History of Music by Ben Shattuck and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Shattuck possesses the ability to make a reader feel like he/she is back in time at the historical period when each story in his collection takes place. He inspires me to try and do the same with my historical fiction.

I graduated from Vassar, then moved to France for 25 years, so no MFA, but have honed my craft at GrubStreet in Boston since 2008.

I wrote a blog about living green on Cape Cod for 10 years. In January 2024, I started posting on Facebook during my visits to my husband in Sweden

I became familiar with immigrant life from editing my dad’s memoir, Emigre, 95 Years in the Life of a Russian Count. The Nansen Factor, my short story collection, was published June 18, 2024. Koehler Books will publish my memoir SEEING JOY March 17, 2026. I am now writing a novel set in Viking times.

The books I have enjoyed the most over the past six months include Milo Todd's The Lilac People and Lesley Bannatyne's Lake Song. Follow me on Instagram: AlexandraGrabbeBooks