Welcome to Litsy!

Making Up the Gods is equal parts quirky and sincere in its thoughtful exploration of tragedy and recovery, of new and old relationships, and of deeper questions of when to let the past rest. Simone, a retired widow, is visited at her home one day by a man named Martin claiming to be her cousin and asking if she is willing to sell her cottage by the lake. It's an enticing proposition, made all the sweeter by the prospect of a condo in Florida. Yet there is something imperceptibly off about Martin, and such a proposition requires time and consideration. Where among her past has Martin even come from and why has he emerged in this moment? The burden of choosing is made all the more difficult because Simone has agreed to take care of a friend's eight-year-old boy, Chen, for a short time while his mother takes a much-needed vacation. A curious but precocious boy, Simone nonetheless finds her match in Chen, who is still grieving the loss of his father and brother in a car accident that had shook the community.