Gringo

You don't have to die to become a ghost. Daniel lives alone, and he does nothing but sleep and work, work and sleep. When this sleep is repeatedly interrupted by his neighbor's barking dog, he surprises himself by doing something despicable. When he finally meets the mysterious neighbor, Ellie, he surprises himself again, realizing a friend is something he's been missing more than he knew. Ellie's been having a rough time since tragedy struck her family. Her out-of-state brother wants to move her into a nursing home as soon as they can sell her old house, but it needs a lot of work, and she just hasn't been able to deal with it alone. As the year goes by, Daniel and Ellie come to rely on each other more and more. But time does not stand still, even though Ellie insists that it does, and Daniel discovers he is in the midst of huge changes--and has been for some time. In fact he and Ellie--and Gringo--have been somewhere pretty unexpected all along. This is a novel about time, and the way it marches on--or doesn't, as the case may be.