Sometimes a place takes on a life of its own. Elle Bishop's family compound named the Paper Palace is such a place. For most of her fifty years, she has vacationed there and she has a powerful relationship with both the structures and the land it is on. It is here that memories were made, friendships formed, and where one act of violence occurred that cannot be erased. When the story opens, Elle has a decision to make and it is not an easy one.
The story is told in both flashbacks and the present day. Elle's childhood was not an easy one and her summers at the property provide a sense of peace. It is here that she met Jonas years before and the secret they share is profound. But, a secret is not all they share and time has come to face this.
THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller introduces readers to a large and varied cast of characters, many of whom are very flawed. Miranda Cowley Heller's attention to detail of both time and place is impeccable. Readers will become immersed in the narrative as we follow Elle's thought processes which leads to a surprising decision.
THE PAPER PALACE is a beautifully told story and well worth reading. Highly recommended.
A story of summer, secrets, love, and lies: in the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace”—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.
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