Good Joy, Bad Joy

by Mikki Brammer · 2026

Good Joy, Bad Joy follows 89‑year‑old Joy Bridport, a lifelong wife, mother, and community pillar in a small Hudson Valley town. When her adventurous best friend Hazel is diagnosed with only months to live, Joy is jolted out of her rule‑bound existence. Determined to make the most of the time they have left, Joy begins to break the rules, stepping into mischief and even petty crime. As she navigates newfound freedom, she wrestles with questions of legacy, identity, and what it means to truly live at any age. The novel blends humor, heartfelt friendship, and poignant reflections on aging, grief, and second chances, celebrating the power of love and the courage to find joy—even the "bad" kind—late in life.