His plane was shot down, and now all Foster has left of her beloved daddy is a pillowcase with some of his possessions: letters he sent Foster, his dog-tags, a commendation he received, cuff links he wore to his wedding to Rayka, a keychain, and a little Irish flag. He died while serving in the Army during a tour of Iraq.

Not only is Foster dealing with the upheaval of this sudden move, she is still grieving the death of her father. Grateful for this kindness, Foster and Rayka move their meager belongings into the trailer and try to devise a plan for this next chapter of their lives. Kitty and Lester invite their guests to stay as long as they'd like in the Airstream trailer-nicknamed The Silver Bullet-that sits in their backyard. Unable to start the vehicle, Kitty and her husband, Lester, tow the McAfee's car, giving Foster and Rayka a ride to their house. A kindly passerby, Kitty, stops to inform the mother and daughter that in the thickness of the fog, they've parked the car just an inch from a cliff. She pulls the car over to the side of the road, unable to go on. Eventually, Rayka tires of driving, and the thick fog that has accumulated all around them becomes impenetrable.

They are on the run from Rayka's abusive boyfriend, Huck, an Elvis impersonator who just struck Rayka in the eye. The novel opens with Foster and her mother, Rayka, speeding down the highway away from Memphis. There, Foster must come to terms with unresolved issues from her past as both she and her mother learn that you cannot hide from life forever. Close to Famous (2011), a young adult novel by American author Joan Bauer, tells the story of twelve-year-old aspiring TV chef Foster McAfee, a recent sixth-grade graduate who flees Memphis with her mother to start a new life in the tiny town of Culpepper, West Virginia.

Joan bauer close to famous