First published 2024
Lila, a gifted student, returns to her small Iowa hometown after years away. As she sifts through her family's history and the ambiguities of her childhood, Lila must reconcile the tragedies and small mercies that haunt her. Guided by the wisdom of her grandmother and the elusive presence of her long-absent father, Lila discovers that the past is not easily buried, and that the truths we seek are often overshadowed by the ones we fear.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reconciliation
Setting: Iowa
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
344 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux