"Let me know who I really am." For Gloria Cotter, this is a prayer. It's 1957 and Gloria knows who she is supposed to be -- the proper daughter of a wealthy West Virginia steel executive, sorority girl, prom queen, and recent graduate from college, ready to assume her next role, that of wife.

But beneath the society girl veneer, Gloria longs for something else, though she's not sure what. All she knows is that ordinary girls are not supposed to be interested in sex without marriage. And they're especially not supposed to want to move to New York City and get a Ph.D. in English literature when they've got a rich, good-looking boyfriend eager to make them his wife. But now she's graduated from college and the world is waiting for her.

A story set in John O'Hara territory, Gloria is a vivid portrayal of class and gender in an era when challenging assumptions seemed un-American. It is also about friendship, loyalty, sexuality, and love, and an unflinching look at the dynamics of family. But mostly, this is the story of Gloria and her last summer at home before setting out for the larger world.