First published 2013
Linnea arrives at her father Art's house carrying the weight of a school shooting she barely survived. Art never planned to raise a teenage daughter, especially one who speaks in monosyllables and flinches at loud sounds. Next door, nurse Christie tends to an unusual patient named Mrs. Foster, who hands over control of her mysterious charity called the Humanity Project. The fund has serious money behind it, but its purpose remains unclear. Linnea finds herself drawn to Conner, the Fosters' handyman, who disappears each evening to care for his father. A workplace accident left Conner's dad dependent on painkillers, turning their home into a battlefield. As these damaged people circle each other, Mrs. Foster's strange experiment takes shape. The Humanity Project poses a simple question: can money make people behave better? Thompson weaves together multiple lives touched by violence, addiction, and loss, asking whether kindness can be purchased or if it must be earned through harder means.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-people, found-family
Setting: Art's House
Period: Contemporary
352 pages · Hardcover · Blue Rider Press
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness, violence