by Jane Smiley
First published 2004
Ginny Cook lives on her family's thousand-acre farm in Iowa when her father Larry announces his plan to retire. He will transfer ownership of the land to his three daughters: Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. What begins as a generous gift quickly turns into a family crisis. Caroline objects to the arrangement and finds herself cut off completely. Ginny and Rose accept their inheritance but soon discover the true cost of their father's control over their lives. Old secrets surface about Larry's treatment of his daughters. The sisters' relationships fracture under the weight of buried trauma and competing claims to the land. Ginny must confront the reality of her past and decide whether family loyalty matters more than truth. The farm that once represented security becomes a battleground where love and betrayal intertwine.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, secrets, sisters
Setting: Iowa
Period: 20th-century
371 pages · Paperback · Demco Media
Content warnings: abuse