First published 2008
Chloe Dale sits across from Salome Drago in a Manhattan restaurant, sizing up the woman who has captivated her son. Chloe lives comfortably in suburban tranquility, creating her art far from urban chaos. Salome carries herself with cunning charm, a refugee whose homeland has vanished from the map. Between them sits the future of Toby Dale, Chloe's son and Salome's devoted pursuer. Toby finds himself caught between two strong women who view each other as threats. The confrontation unfolds as America prepares for war in Iraq, the political drums beating louder each day. Protesters gather in streets while families guard their territory and assumptions. Two households collide in this story of mothers and sons, natives and newcomers, all convinced they control their own destinies. Martin examines how the past intrudes on the present, how families defend what they believe belongs to them.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, political-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Manhattan, Iraq
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
304 pages · Paperback · Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Content warnings: war