Daphne Larsen knew she wasn’t the prettiest girl, or the smartest, and that she sucked at Math. But she was the oldest of the five Larsen kids, growing up in a small town in Ohio, and that carried responsibilities. She wanted her talents to be recognized, but wanted to be fair, and she wanted to know that the people she loved loved her too.

Sometimes she went looking for love in unusual places.

In college, ready to graduate in 1958, Daphne got excited when she was invited to audition for the Executive Training Institute at the third (sometimes fourth) largest American automobile manufacturer, in Detroit.

Did she ever look back? Did she ever back down? There would be many challenges to a woman in the high-powered business world of the 1960s and ‘70s.

Sometimes not everything worked out. But when she slipped, Daphne knew what it took to try to do better, and part of that was helping others to be their best, too.

Mostly she succeeded. And she eventually did a damned good job of finding love. But there were a few missteps on the way. It got easier when she learned it was better to have a good friend than an empty love affair. That faith in others is a mark of strength. And that confidence in one’s own talents goes a long way to happiness.

David Culp’s novel The Best of All Possible Daphnes: A Love Story explores the world Daphne Larsen knew she had the ability to thrive in. It is a worthy companion to his other two novels, about Daphne’s younger siblings, The Book of Mathew L. and Carrie: An American Classic.