First published 2021
In a remote South African village, young Sonny stumbles upon the closely guarded secrets of Elise, an elderly widow. As Sonny digs deeper, he unravels Elise's harrowing history - of war, espionage, and profound loss. But Sonny's prying threatens to shatter Elise's fragile peace. Can he help her confront the ghosts of her past and find redemption?
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, africa
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: South Africa, Wyoming, Lithuania, Kansas, Village 113, Three Gorges Dam, Germany, Vredehoek, Cape Town
288 pages · Paperback · Scribner
Content warnings: death, war