by Naima Coster
First published 2018
Penelope Grand abandons her struggling art career in Pittsburgh and returns to Brooklyn to watch over her sick father. The Bed-Stuy neighborhood she once knew has vanished. Gentrification has torn down familiar places and brought in wealthy white residents. Her mother Mirella has fled to the Dominican Republic, leaving the family behind. Penelope moves into an attic apartment with the well-off Harper family, hoping to find belonging and perhaps romance. Then a postcard arrives from Mirella, requesting forgiveness and reconciliation. The message forces Penelope to confront old injuries and hidden truths. The story moves between mother and daughter as both women struggle with their choices. Mirella fights for one final opportunity to reconnect with the daughter she lost years before her departure. Penelope must decide whether to remain trapped by old hurts or forge her own path forward. Their relationship hinges on whether love can bridge the ocean of pain between them.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: estranged-family, found-family, second-chance
Setting: Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Dominican Republic, Pittsburgh
Period: 21st-century
335 pages · Paperback · Little A