Everyone has secrets. Some we keep to protect ourselves,
others we keep to protect those we love.
A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised no one more
than herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable
desire to leave urban life behind and head for an idyllic
suburb. Though she knows she and her beloved husband, Teo,
have made the right move, she approaches her new life with
trepidation and struggles to forge friendships in her new
home. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental
neighbor Piper Truitt. Perfectly manicured, impeccably
dressed, and possessing impossible standards, Piper is the
embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in
suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake.
Over a shared love of literature and old movies, Cornelia
develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman
who has also recently arrived in town, ostensibly to send
her perceptive and brilliant son, Dev, to a school for the
gifted.
Marisa de los Santos's literary talents shine in the complex
interactions she creates between these three women. She
deftly explores the life-altering roller coaster of emotions
Piper faces as she cares for two households, her own and
that of her cancer-stricken best friend, Elizabeth.
Skillfully, de los Santos creates an enigmatic and beguiling
character in Lake, who draws Cornelia closer even as she
harbors a shocking secret. And from the first page until the
exhilarating conclusion, de los Santos engages readers with
Cornelia, who, while trying to adapt to her new
surroundings, must remain true to herself. As their
individual stories unfold, the women become entangled in a
web of trust, betrayal, love, and loss that challenges them
in ways they never imagined, and that ultimately teaches
them what it means for one human being to belong to another.