Maura K. Deering studied creative writing at the University of Washington. She worked as a writer and communications director at the University of California, Davis, and practiced law for fifteen years. After retiring from her practice in 2019, she returned to writing. She has published essays in the Seattle Weekly and Bird Watcher’s Digest, and articles in ParentMap, UC Davis Magazine, and the King County Bar Bulletin. Deering currently writes educational, healthcare, and technology web content for Red Ventures.

Who is the father of Brenna’s daughter?

When Brenna Riley and Dennis Griffin meet on the Stanford rowing team, they are immediately and inexorably drawn to each other. Their attraction leads to an ill-fated hookup. For Brenna, that’s the end of the relationship. But for Dennis, it’s the beginning of an obsession.

What follows is a nearly forty-year preoccupation for Dennis. Everything about Brenna, from her relationships to the strands of hair in her brush, is at the center of his thoughts. But as his efforts to win her over escalate and fail, Dennis focuses his attention on what he’s come to think of as the next best thing: her daughter, Sadie.

A haunting, thrilling story about what happens when strong attractions are ignored, The Handyman follows Dennis and Brenna through marriages, addictions, and even an untimely death.