by Nancy Huston
First published 2021
Three members of a wealthy, educated American family begin separate journeys that will test everything they believe about themselves. Each character struggles with their own form of liberation, following winding paths that reveal how their comfortable lives connect to the darkest chapters of modern history. As their stories unfold, the family confronts issues that define contemporary life: racial tensions, religious conflicts, surrogacy arrangements, and feminist struggles. The novel traces how privilege and education cannot shield them from the violence, poverty, and anger that shape the world around them. What starts as individual quests for freedom becomes a larger reckoning with representation, secularism, and the weight of historical memory. The three characters must navigate their complex relationships with each other while facing truths that challenge their understanding of family, identity, and responsibility.
Genres: literary-fiction, social-issues, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, privilege
Setting: America
Period: Contemporary
320 pages · Paperback · ACTES SUD
Content warnings: racism