“A compelling study of power, sociopathy, and the possibilities of survival.” fierce little thing
LIZZIE & DANTE
A slow-burn thriller that gradually suffocates both the protagonist and the reader—in a good way.
Bly, Mary Dial Press (320 pp.) $23.36 | Jun. 1, 2021 978-0-593-13482-5
FIERCE LITTLE THING
Beverly-Whittemore, Miranda Flatiron Books (432 pp.) $23.99 | Jul. 27, 2021 978-1-250-77942-7
y o u n g a d u lt
When Saskia joined Home, a secluded Maine commune, she thought she had finally found a family. But cults never quite turn out as one might hope. It all began when Saskia’s 4-year-old little brother died. With her father in jail, her mother absconded, and her grandmother unwilling to care for her, Saskia’s family disintegrates. Sent to live with family friends just after she turns 12, she initially thrives. Phillip, her new father figure, is an eccentric painter, and although his wife, Jane, is rarely around, Saskia soon bonds with their son, Xavier, who’s her age. Then Jane decides not to come home, and Phillip takes them to Home, where the enigmatic leader, Abraham, holds court, urging everyone to “Unthing” themselves and give up all worldly attachments. There in the woods of Maine, Saskia finds new friends among the other kids. But she is also surrounded by adults trying to navigate marital and financial difficulties. In the background, the siege on Waco has Abraham on edge, and bad choices eventually erupt in a catastrophic event. Sixteen years later, Saskia and her friends from Home are living separate lives: Xavier and his husband are trying to adopt a child, Ben and Cornelia have built their own families, Issy is a single mom. Only Saskia lives alone and isolated in her late grandmother’s Connecticut house. Mysterious letters have arrived in all their mailboxes, luring them back to Home, threatening to reveal a terrible secret. As the tightly structured chapters toggle between Saskia’s past and present, Beverly-Whittemore deftly ratchets up the tension by slowly, almost imperceptibly revealing the psychological troubles haunting not only Saskia, but also Abraham. Avoiding the expected storyline of “cult leader sexually abuses young girl,” Beverly-Whittemore crafts something else entirely as the sins of the past come home to roost. A compelling study of power, sociopathy, and the possibilities of survival.
A 32-year-old Shakespeare professor with stage 3 cancer learns to embrace life on a vacation in Elba, Italy, in romance author Eloisa James’ first novel using her real name—under which she’s also a Shakespeare scholar who teaches at Fordham. Lizzie Delford leaves New York for six weeks in Italy, traveling with her best friend, Grey, and his partner, movie star Rohan Das. Lizzie is ostensibly on the trip as an adviser to Rohan, who’s writing a screenplay for a new film of Romeo and Juliet; but Grey is hoping she will rest and recover from her latest bout of chemo. At the beach, Lizzie meets Dante, a world-renowned chef and single father to Etta, a precocious 12-year-old. As Lizzie contemplates whether she should try more invasive and
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kirkus.com
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fiction
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15 may 2021
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9
