The instant New York Times bestseller

Oprah’s Book Club pick

Barack Obama summer read

More than one million copies sold!

Beautiful, perceptive, wistful,

— Miranda Cowley Heller

Ann Napolitano’s writing is astonishing,

— Marian Keyes

Radiant and brilliantly crafted,

— New York Times

Best friends and sisters, the four Padavano girls bring loving chaos to their close-knit Italian American neighbourhood. William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So, when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano, it's as if the world has lit up around him.

With Julia comes her family: Sylvie, the family's dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. But when darkness from William's past begins to block the light of his future, it is Sylvie, not Julia, who becomes his closest confidante. The result is a catastrophic rift that leaves the family inhabiting two sides of a fault line.

Can they find their way back to each other? Can love make a broken family whole?

A luminously beautiful novel,

— Observer

I very nearly missed my stop on the train. It was that good,

— Elle

A novel of rare yet classic beauty,

— i Paper

A moving, tender family epic,

— Pandora Sykes

Reviews

Ann Napolitano's writing is astonishing,

— Marian Keyes, Sunday Times bestselling author of Again, Rachel

This powerfully affecting novel illustrates [that] love and luck don't always intertwine,

— People Magazine

This is a story about family, and sisters... and how love can be redeemed,

— Therese Anne Fowler, author of It All Comes Down to This

As addictive as last year's The Paper Palace,

— Grazia

I read this while traveling from London to Manchester and very nearly missed my stop on the train. It was that good,

— Abi Daré, Elle

A novel of rare yet classic beauty…,

— i Paper

Napolitano’s luminously beautiful novel explores the space between truth and self-delusion to incredibly moving effect,

— Observer