First published 2008
Towner Whitney warns you from the start: she lies constantly. Her real name is Sophya, but that might be a lie too. She comes from Salem women who possess an unusual gift. They can see the future by reading patterns in old lace. For generations, her family has kept their secrets locked away. Now two women have vanished, and Towner must return to Salem after years away. She faces the truth she has avoided about her twin sister's death. The family's history of deception runs deep. Towner struggles to separate what really happened from the stories she tells herself. In Salem, the line between truth and fiction blurs. The lace reveals patterns, but Towner must decide which ones to believe. Her homecoming forces her to confront not just family secrets, but her own unreliable memories of tragedy.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, magical-realism, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Salem
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
390 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: mental-illness