From the author of the critically acclaimed story collection How This Night Is Different comes a dark, arresting, fearlessly funny story of one young woman's terminal illness. In The Book of Dahlia, Elisa Albert walks a dazzling line between gravitas and irreverence, mining an exhilarating blend of skepticism and curiosity, compassion and candor, high and low culture.

Meet Dahlia Finger: twenty-nine, depressed, whip-smart, occasionally affable, bracingly honest, resolutely single, and perennially unemployed. She spends her days stoned in front of the TV, watching the same movies repeatedly, like a form of prayer. But Dahlia's so-called life is upended by an aggressive, inoperable brain tumor.

Stunned and uncomprehending, Dahlia must work toward reluctant emotional reckoning with the aid of a questionable self-help guide. She obsessively revisits the myriad heartbreaks, disappointments, rages, and regrets that comprise the story of her life — from her parents' haphazard Israeli courtship to her kibbutz conception; from the role of beloved daughter and little sister to that of abandoned, suicidal adolescent; from an affluent childhood in Los Angeles to an aimless existence in the gentrified wilds of Brooklyn; from a girl with options to a girl with none — convinced that cancer struck because she herself is somehow at fault.

With her take-no-prisoners perspective, her depressive humor, and her extreme vulnerability, Dahlia Finger is an unforgettable anti-heroine. This staggering portrait of one young woman's life and death confirms Elisa Albert as a "witty, incisive" (Variety) and even "wonder-inducing" writer (Time Out New York).

"Albert has given readers a no-holds-barred portrait of terminal illness. This is not a gentle book, but it is an authentic and important one. Highly recommended." School Library Journal

"Elisa Albert has the unique gift of making bedmates out of humor and heartbreak. The Book of Dahlia is wonderful." Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan

"Never maudlin, occasionally harrowing, and often hilarious, The Book of Dahlia is a dark, surprising wonder. Faced with her own imminent and unavoidable demise, Dahlia doesn't flinch — but you will." Kelly Braffet, author of Last Seen Leaving

"The Book of Dahlia does not go gently into that good night — each line howls with pain and rage and laughter. It takes an unflinching look at terminal illness in our culture of sunny denial and doesn't let readers off the hook, either — this book will bring you to your knees. It's also the funniest thing I've read in years." Karen Russell, author of St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

From the author of the acclaimed story collection How This Night Is Different comes a fearless, arresting, outrageously funny exploration of one young woman's terminal illness.

Elisa Albert is the author of the short story collection How This Night is Different and the novel The Book of Dahlia. She is currently editing an anthology about sibling relationships called Freud's Blind Spot, to be published in 2010. Albert is a founding editor of Jewcy.com and an adjunct assistant professor of creative writing at Columbia University.

1. Something Wrong
2. Understanding Your Diagnosis
3. A Different Kind of Disease
4. The Bright Side
5. Get a Second Opinion
6. You're the Boss
7. Trust Your Treatment
8. Choose Life
9. Find a Support System
10. Evaluate Your Relationships
11. Heal Yourself
12. Live Now
13. Laugh
14. Reframe
15. Be Grateful
16. Have Faith
17. Forgive and Forget
18. Be Well