I Could Live Here Forever

When Leah Kempler meets Charlie Nelson in line at the grocery store, their attraction is immediate and intense. Charlie, with his big feelings and grand proclamations of love, captivates her completely. But there are peculiarities of his lifehes older than her but lives with his parents; he meets up with a friend at odd hours of the night; he sleeps a lot and always seems to be coming down with something. He confesses that hes a recovering heroin addict, but he promises Leah that hes never going to use again.

Leah’s friends and family are concerned. As she finds herself getting deeper into an isolated relationship, one of manipulation and denial, the truth about Charlie feels as blurry as their time together. Even when Charlies behavior becomes increasingly erratic, when he starts to make Leah feel unsafe,she cant help but feel that what exists between them is destined. Charlie is wide open, boyish, and unbearably handsome. The bounds of Leahs own painand loveare so deep that she cant see him spiraling into self-destruction.

Hanna Halperin writes with aching vulnerability and intimacy, sharply attuned to Leahs desire for an all-consuming, compulsive connection.I Could Live Here Foreverexposes the chasm between perception and truth to tell an intoxicating story of one womans relationship with an addict, the accompanying swirl of compassion and codependence, and her enduring search for love and wholeness.

Hardcover, Apr 11th 2023