Here's the archive of today's chat with Monica Wood. (Just click on the replay icon to access it.)

That pretty much sums up the whole book, but I thought it also was the story of Lizzy and Drew.

It's just a handful of chapters later, and everything we thought we knew about Lizzy and her families (past and present) has changed. Father Mike is still alive, and has been living a new life in Ohio...how could this be? How could he bear knowing that Lizzy has been growing up without him, thinking he was gone forever?

Maybe it's not a good idea to read ahead. I've been holding back all this week from posting because I know the ending and I didn't want to give it away. But, if you haven't done your homework, I've already warned you!

I really enjoyed the experience of reading "Any Bitter Thing". Most of the other librarians I work with had read it already. They, being librarians, were full of suggestions of what I can read now, like Wood's "Ernie's Ark" or their hands down favorite, " My Only Story". And of course, I want to reread the next book for this group, Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". I now have several bags of books to work on this month!

As I was reading this first section, I found myself thinking about how conditioned we are to make decisions based on what other people might think, or how things "should" be, rather than spending the time to find - and in some cases, fight for - what's truly right.

When you're feeling really hungry, running on empty, have you ever found yourself eating the first thing edible you find in the fridge? Lizzy reminds me of such a starving woman, taking in whatever is offered her. Is Lizzy trying to fill the gaps in her life left by her parents death, her uncle's removal from her life by the church and then his death. And when we learn she is hit by a car while running away from her husband, who is about to leave her as well, we as readers feel overwhelmed by the losses in her life. Even the man we come to know as Harry Griggs, leaves Lizzy on the side of the road after her accident, even a stranger leaves her to die alone.

I don't remember, in Wood's description of Drew's and Lizzy's courtship, of Lizzy ever stating that she loved Drew. The relationship came together from their acknowledgment of the other being "The one who will save me... " Their marriage begins breaking down and Drew meets a woman at one of the weddings he photographs. Drew does state after Lizzy's accident that he didn't know if he would've left Lizzy, but the unknown and the memory of what occurred between them just before Lizzy was hit is still between them.

Lizzy's accident is horrific. The first driver who comes upon her lying in the road thinks she's dead. He moves her off the road, swearing and pleading, and then flees.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Monica Wood has agreed to participate in a live chat on pressherald.com after we've finished the book. Mark your calendars now for 12:30 p.m. on March 31. (If you can't be online then, we'll archive the chat and keep it on the site.)

So as you read, make sure to jot down any questions you have. (We also can take questions in advance if you can't be online for the chat.)

I'm finding the book to be a fast read -- even though I know this time how it ends, I can't put it down. What are your impressions so far?

"I tell this with the authority of memory."

Our narrator, Lizzy, says this on the book's first page, as she launches into her story, beginning with her being hit by a car as she jogs on a moonless Maine night.

But as we'll soon see, the authority of memory is elusive, and perhaps not as authoritative as Lizzy -- or anyone -- believes.