She's Come Undone

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of three Oprah Book Club Picks including The River Is Waiting—Wally Lamb takes us on an extraordinary journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years.

“Mine is a story of craving: an unreliable account of lusts and troubles that began, somehow, in 1956 on the day our free television was delivered....”

Meet Dolores Price. She’s thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she’s determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up.

In this extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a wild ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably lovable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections. She’s Come Undone includes a promise: you will never forget Dolores Price.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Dec 1, 1996

480 pages

Average rating: 7.55

128 RATINGS

|

These clubs recently read this book...

The Literary Lounge

The Literary Lounge is a co-ed book club for readers of all ages. We share a love of books, lively discussion, and good company.

Sav Gals Book Club

“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” - Carl Sagan

We meet monthly for book discussion with 2-3 social events additional. Book selection is by group decision and runs the spectrum. We mix it up to keep it interesting. 

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *She's Come Undone* is a deeply human and emotional novel with a raw, complicated protagonist whose journey resonates profoundly. Reviewer...

njlbo1
Jul 18, 2023
6/10 stars
I suffered through the first half...or the first three-quarters...but in the end, I guess I have to admit it was worth it. I just wish I knew there was a happier ending to Dolores's story than that she saw a whale!
Curator of Creeps & Community
Feb 18, 2026
She’s Come Undone is the most human book I’ve ever read. Dolores is messy, difficult, vulnerable, funny, frustrating, and painfully real. Watching her break apart and slowly rebuild herself felt less like reading and more like witnessing someone survive. I didn’t just read this book. I lived inside it. It broke my heart and handed it back in better shape. My favorite, always.
ErikaS87
Dec 13, 2025
8/10 stars
Excellent listen! Highly recommend.
Hunters mom
Nov 01, 2025
10/10 stars
Wally Lamb is my favorite author. All is writing brings you into a whole new world.
Sommer B. Williams
Jul 31, 2025
2/10 stars
Unpopular opinion but I couldn't stand this book. The main character was a wet mop and I just dreaded reading this all the way to the end.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.