by Lily Koppel
First published 2008
In 1998, a freelance writer stumbles upon a forgotten red leather diary in a Manhattan apartment building. As she unravels the diary's contents, a vivid portrait of 1930s New York emerges - the story of a young, free-spirited socialite whose passionate inner life was rarely expressed. Determined to return the diary to its rightful owner, the writer embarks on a journey to uncover the diarist's identity and piece together her hopes, loves, and struggles against the glamorous backdrop of a bygone era. What she discovers will reshape her own perspective on life, loss, and the enduring power of the written word.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New York (State), New York (N.Y.), New York
Period: 20th century
352 pages · Kindle Edition · HarperCollins