Donna Has Left the Building

By Susan Jane Gilman ,

Book cover of Donna Has Left the Building

Book description

Donna Koczynski is a failed punk rocker, recovering alcoholic, and suburban mother of two teenagers whose relatively peaceful existence suddenly detonates when she comes home early from a sales conference in Vegas to find the surprise of a lifetime. Suddenly realizing that life can be more than the rut of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Donna Has Left the Building as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

How I love to laugh at the same time that I’m feeling all the raw pain of being a human—in this case a human woman who runs away from home. The beginning of this book—about a housewife, cooking ware saleswoman's trip to hell and back, is belly-laugh-inducing, causing one to cough and gasp in joy. But there’s more: Gilman writes real, complicated characters, complete with pain and delusions. And the reason they are so deeply funny is that Gilman is self-aware enough to know and show their flaws better than they know them. 

Titular protagonist Donna Koczynski may inhabit a…

If you love Donna Has Left the Building...

Ad

Book cover of All They Need to Know

All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge,

A runaway finds sisterhood, love, and danger in a mountain town.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted…

Want books like Donna Has Left the Building?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Donna Has Left the Building.

Browse books like Donna Has Left the Building

Book cover of Hell of a Book
Book cover of Here Goes Nothing
Book cover of I Am Not Sidney Poitier

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,355

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Donna Has Left the Building, you might also like...

Book cover of Kanazawa

Kanazawa by David Joiner,

Emmitt’s plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of purchasing their dream home. Disappointed, he’s surprised to discover her subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo.

In his search for a meaningful life in Japan, and after quitting his job, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law…

Book cover of Not So Little Things

Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson,

Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson unravels the meticulously crafted life of Tina, an artist engrossed in the intricate world of historically accurate miniatures. As she dutifully honors her deceased father's desire for her to follow in his artistic and historical footsteps, Tina's controlled existence is shaken by…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in family, self-awareness, and Manhattan?

Family 4,312 books
Self-Awareness 32 books
Manhattan 141 books