What Remains Is Grace

Award-winning author Sharon G. Flake delivers a moving literary novel about the challenges of aging, the meaning of home, and the unexpected paths to healing.

It’s 1997, and recent college graduate Grace Downing is ready to begin the next chapter of her life with a teaching job on Chicago’s North Shore. But when she arrives, she discovers the position has been unexpectedly rescinded. Devastated yet unwilling to return home, Grace accepts a position teaching Honors English at a South Side high school—where her childhood crush is now a fellow teacher.

Meanwhile, longtime family friend Candi has been living in Grace’s childhood home, where she spent years caring for their elderly neighbor, Nelda, until Nelda’s death the previous year. When Grace turns to Candi for refuge, she is welcomed with open arms, even as Candi struggles with grief, lingering questions about Nelda’s life, and the difficult decision of whether to care for her estranged husband.

When Grace’s sister joins them, the three women begin uncovering the hidden truths of Nelda’s past, revealing long-buried secrets and unfinished stories. As each confronts her own history, they discover unexpected strength, embrace new roles, and deepen their faith in ways that transform their lives.