First published 2013
Ellie's peaceful bohemian life on Fire Island crumbles when her eldest son Leo bolts for Hollywood, chasing stardom and fortune. She packs up her younger son and her loyal friend Bridie to pursue him across the country. In 1940s Hollywood, Ellie builds a new existence among celebrities, artists, and studio executives to support Leo's ambitions. She meets Stan, a gifted composer unlike any man from her past, and befriends Suri, who reveals the darker injustices lurking beneath the movie industry's surface. The glittering world of Hollywood shows Ellie both its seductive power and its ugly truths. Vanity and greed poison the glamorous facade while the European war casts long shadows over American life. Ellie must shield her family from crushing disappointments and more serious dangers that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Fire Island, Hollywood
Period: 1940s
336 pages · Mass Market Paperback · PAN Macmillan
Content warnings: war