Christine Bradley, a thirty-something editor for a NYC publishing company, retreats to her late parent’s Upstate New York home in late January to recover emotionally from the death of her husband in a Manhattan train accident.

As Christine approaches the front door she sees a battered yellow envelope lying on the Victorian porch, partially covered in snow. Thinking it is an unsolicited manuscript someone had dropped off at her parent’s house, she absent mindedly tosses the envelope aside since she is not allowed to read unsolicited material. Days pass in the cold, empty house and out of boredom Christine goes against company policy, opens the envelope, and begins reading the manuscript.

The story she reads is about a thirty-something editor for a NYC publishing company who retreats to her late parent’s Upstate New York home in late January to recover emotionally form the death of her husband in a Manhattan train accident.

At first Christine is convinced someone is playing a cruel hoax on her and tosses the manuscript into the fireplace. After several sleepless nights, Christine sifts through the ashes of the fireplace and discovers the manuscript still intact. She reads more. She reads of how the young editor tosses a manuscript into a fireplace. Christine is shaken and begins her quest for who the author of the manuscript is. She solicits help from people from her past to help in her search for answers and the ultimately, the truth.

Unsolicited, by Matthew Donahue

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