Myrna Rutledge has it all in the summer of '65. A well-curated wardrobe. A diamond with no discernible flaws. A floor plan to die for. The only problem? Her husband, Frank, comes with the plan. And so, after a disastrous twenty-fourth birthday party, Myrna packs it in and heads for L.A. armed with two skirted swimsuits, a bottle of Coppertone, and one million in unmarked bills that Frank has stashed under the guest bed upstairs.Only L.A. is more seductive than Myrna ever imagined. As for Frank's younger brother, Dan, he's a woundingly attractive artist obsessed with the need to photograph every empty chair in the greater L.A. area. Lonely and alone, Myrna joins him on this quest-a journey that takes her from the dazzling Pacific Ocean to the gleaming photo lab at UCLA where he teaches her how to create the perfect image. There she discovers that she not only has something of value to say, but a unique way in which to say it.Still, Myrna intends to honor the vows she made before God and her parents and the most expensive caterers in Chicago, Illinois. The problem is that L.A. is the epitome of everything cool that summer, and Myrna finds herself at the epicenter of it all. Warhol. Gernreich. Hockney. Dylan. And Frank's younger brother, Dan.Brenda Arnold's achingly funny book is a love letter to L.A. in the summer of 1965. It is also a story about love, loss, and the art of becoming another person entirely. If you believe in second chances and enjoy the work of Nora Ephron, Cathleen Schine, and Anne Tyler, this book is for you