Bellflower

From the author of Things to See in Arizona, Starling, and The Qualities of Wood, an innovative, touching, and unforgettable novel-in-moments that invites readers to choose a reading approach.

At a party thrown by his wife's PTA friend, Glen Hanley makes a reckless choice. Terri Moore's life has finally settled after an unexpected divorce, when her son reveals stunning news. Elderly and alone, Mrs. Hallowicz finds solace in her flowerbeds and pet turtle, but the pain of a long-buried tragedy threatens to unhinge her. On the shaky ground of California, foundations can suddenly shift.

Mary Vensel White's kaleidoscopic novel-in-moments spans the lifetimes of these three characters and the network of family and friends connecting them. On the shaky ground of California, foundations can suddenly shift. Bellflower is about the mysteries of fate and chance, the delicate balance of relationships, and the resilient human spirit that keeps us striving to complete our own stories, in our own way.

"I was intrigued by the overlapping stories of Bellflower, and yet found I was compelled to read them in order; that is, I read all the Hanley chapters first, then Moore, then Hallowicz. In this book, with this method, I was given the option to stay with the characters and so I did. All the scenes in Bellflower are vivid and well-wrought; I will think about these characters for a long time." Jessica Francis Kane, author of Rules for Visiting