Cattail Lane

A Novel

By: Fran Kimmel

Narrated by: Tony Nash

A story with a compassionate eye, the heartwarming vibes of A Man Called Ove mixed with the high emotional stakes of Anne Tyler, Cattail Lane is an uplifting family drama about overcoming the past and the extraordinary power of second chances.

Nick Ackerman’s life is an aimless circuit between his uninspiring job and the local bar until a note from a stranger changes everything. He learns he has a 14-year-old son, Billy, whose grandmother can no longer look after him. Railroaded into fatherhood, Nick takes in the resentful Billy and shuffles Grandma Evie off to the nearby dementia ward at Prairie View Manor. Things get off to a rocky start: father and son are little more than strangers, and Nick struggles with his new caretaking role while Billy can’t seem to let go of his. Luckily, there is Sarah, a housekeeper in the dementia ward and the single mother of an energetic and offbeat five-year-old. It is Sarah who Nick turns to as a parental role model and maybe something more.

Nick, Sarah and Billy all carry their own betrayals and disappointments and are used to keeping others at a distance, but during the dog days of summer, they are given a chance to leave past hurts behind and find a new kind of family.

Compassionate and closely observed, Cattail Lane is a moving exploration of forgiveness, second chances and the everyday moments where we might find our way to one another.

©2025 Fran Kimmel (P)2025 Audible, Inc.

Stories That Become Family!

This book is a treasure. The story unfolds with such warmth and tenderness that words hardly do it justice. I found myself slowly wrapped in the lives of the characters until they felt like friends I didn’t want to leave. The prose paints vivid, living pictures, every chapter like a gift to be unwrapped, surprising and joyful. Reading it felt like being handed Christmas morning and lemonade in July all at once: refreshing, delightful, and nourishing to the heart. I’m genuinely grateful for this book. My life feels brighter having read it!

BEST BOOK!

Rarely does a book like Cattail Lane become grace our lives. Fran Kimmel's third novel has everything. It kept my attention from the very first page until the very neat tying of all the bows at the end. It's heartwarming and the kind of book that reminds you what life is really like. This one is a must.