"A novel raised to an impressive level of literary elegance, it is all the more impressive to note that "Something Better' is the debut effort of novelist Diane Parrish. Deftly incorporating thoughtful and thought-provoking elements of forgiveness and faith, "Something Better" is a truly memorable read from start to finish."

—Midwest Book Review 

About Diane

Originally from the Midwest, Diane Parrish now lives with her husband in Connecticut, where they raised their two children. She has worked as a dental hygienist, a litigation attorney, and a volunteer leader in non-profit organizations. Over years in those positions Diane wrote more briefs, memos, vision statements, and other documents than she could count. In her spare time she also took creative writing classes and experimented with fiction she kept more or less to herself. Recently she begin submitting some of her work for publication, with her essays and short fiction appearing in Calla Press Literary Journal, Vita Brevis, The Wild Word, and The Ravens Perch. Lit Garden, Diane's column about books, is a monthly feature in BookTrib. Something Better is her first novel. 

With compassion and honesty, Something Better takes readers on a journey through the country of grief and the messy aftermath of love and disaster. Parrish’s clear-eyed writing dives into the question of forgiveness: can we forgive the ones we love when they are the ones who hurt us the most? And can such radical forgiveness be life-changing? This tender story cheered me, moved me, and made me want to linger with its characters for long afterward. A novel with deep wells of heart and oceans of uplift waiting in its pages.

—Blair Hurley,

Author of Minor Prophets and The Devoted


Something Better gently explores grief in its many forms—a young woman’s loss of both parents in a tragic car accident, a married couple’s failure to conceive a child—then places the characters on a collision course through their sometimes-faulty life choices. Infused with keen insight and empathy into our human foibles, and wisdom about grace and forgiveness, Diane Parrish’s deft prose offers a timely reminder that it’s never too late to heal, if only we can take the first step.

—Kristin Koval

Author of the Novel Penitence

With compassion and honesty, Something Better takes readers on a journey through the country of grief and the messy aftermath of love and disaster. Parrish’s clear-eyed writing dives into the question of forgiveness: can we forgive the ones we love when they are the ones who hurt us the most? And can such radical forgiveness be life-changing? This tender story cheered me, moved me, and made me want to linger with its characters for long afterward. A novel with deep wells of heart and oceans of uplift waiting in its pages.

—Blair Hurley,

Author of Minor Prophets and The Devoted


Something Better gently explores grief in its many forms—a young woman’s loss of both parents in a tragic car accident, a married couple’s failure to conceive a child—then places the characters on a collision course through their sometimes-faulty life choices. Infused with keen insight and empathy into our human foibles, and wisdom about grace and forgiveness, Diane Parrish’s deft prose offers a timely reminder that it’s never too late to heal, if only we can take the first step.

—Kristin Koval

Author of the Novel Penitence

About Diane

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