The Opposite of Chance

Stung by betrayal, a sheltered woman boards a plane to find a world beyond Milwaukee: "The author writes with wit and flair. . . . A romantic escape to savor." —Kirkus ReviewsBetsy has been sheltered for a long time—by her close-knit family, Catholic school education, college in her hometown, and early marriage. It takes the discovery of her husband's serial philandering to push her out of the nest, at age thirty-two, in the summer of 1981.Betsy grabs a backpack and a few good books and puts distance—geographical and emotional—between herself and the life she knew in Wisconsin. She begins to make her own decisions: which cities to travel to, what hotels to stay at, and what dinner entrées to order. At airports, on trains, and in pensiones, Betsy takes her first steps toward independence as she navigates the brief but intense relationships only travelers can have with one another.Armed with a book of...