In Shaker Heights, Ohio, a planned community where rules govern everything from house colors to lawn heights, Elena Richardson lives a well-ordered life with her husband and four children. Her routine is disrupted when she rents a house to Mia Warren, an artist, and her teenage daughter Pearl, who have moved from place to place for years. The Richardson children are drawn to the newcomers, and when a custody battle over a baby divides the town, Elena begins to dig into Mia's past.
It's for readers who like family dramas about class, race, motherhood and choices. Ng builds the plot around a house fire in the first pages and then explains how it came to happen.
Inward-looking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
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