by Steph Cha
First published 2019
Shannon Burke carries the weight of her scandalous past as she navigates the treacherous world of 1920s Hollywood. Seeking refuge from her troubles, she finds temporary peace with the Pennington family, ranchers living in the Santa Monica Mountains far from the city's chaos. The Penningtons welcome Shannon into their close family circle, offering her a glimpse of the stability she has never known. But their sanctuary cannot last. Film director Wilson Crumb tracks Shannon to the mountains, bringing with him the very corruption she tried to escape. As bootleg liquor and illegal drugs infiltrate their peaceful ranch, Shannon must confront her addiction and the manipulative forces that have controlled her life. The Penningtons face their own crisis as the Hollywood underworld threatens to destroy everything they have built. Shannon discovers that healing requires more than just distance from her past. She must choose between the destructive familiarity of her old life and the uncertain promise of redemption that the mountain family offers.
Genres: drama, american-fiction, addiction, 20th-century, crime, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, redemption-arc
Setting: Hollywood, Santa Monica Mountains
Period: 1920s
291 pages · Paperback · Los Angeles Review of Books
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use