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A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for. -- Amy Schumer on <em>Mercy House</em> In Mercy House, Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose tale-and that of her housemates-is as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut. -- Therese Ann Fowler, <em>New York Times </em>bestselling author of <em>Z, A Well-Behaved Woman</em>, and <em>A Good Neighborhood</em> Dillon (Mercy House) explores the dark side of elite gymnastics in her engrossing ripped-from-the-headlines latest...Dillon's excellent psychological drama will stay with readers. -- <em>Publishers Weekly</em> Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects - fictional and real - any other way. -- PopSugar A brilliant and often heartbreaking account of a young girl striving to live a complicated dream, The Happiest Girl In The World probes the tragedy of the at-all-costs mentality that fuels Olympic performances. -- Blythe Lawrence, co-author of Aly Raisman's <em>Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything</em> The Happiest Girl in the World is a tender reflection on the importance of second chances, the ways in which both courage and cowardice can break a person, and what it takes to make yourself whole again. -- Meghan MacLean Weir, author of <em>The Book of Essie</em> Happiest Girl in the World is a searing look at elite gymnastics and the lengths an athlete will go to reach her goal. Dillon writes a harrowing story about how hope can be saddled with burdens, and sacrifice can wear down the soul. Timely and spirited, I devoured this book. -- Elissa R. Sloan, author of <em>The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes</em>

Eyes Turned Skyward is a powerful examination of the cost-emotional, familial, generational-when women are denied their right to soar. Spitfire aviatrix Peggy is eager to serve her country during WWII as a Women's Airforce Service Pilot, and her fury when the women pilots are sidelined will echo through the decades to her own daughter, Kathy, a nurse struggling to care for the frail, aging, angry mother she has never really understood. Alena Dillon's poetic prose and complex characters will linger long after the last page is turned! - Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network In Eyes Turned Skyward, Alena Dillon has masterfully woven together dual timelines and complex characters in an engrossing and emotional story that celebrates the contributions made by WASP members while also demonstrating how their sacrifices, losses, and lack of recognition by the government impacted their lives following the war. - Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Flight City Eyes Turned Skyward brings the bravery and tenacity of World War II's Women Airforce Service Pilots front and center, which is exactly where this inspiring story belongs. Engaging and honest, this big-hearted book also explores the contemporary challenges and joys often found in marriage and family life. - Elise Hooper, author of Angels of the Pacific Dillon has written a compelling and moving dual-timeline story about the lasting ramifications of misogyny, grief, and the histories we don't know about the those we love the most. Filled with laser-sharp insights on motherhood, caregiving, and ambition, Eyes Turned Skyward is a rich and unforgettable story that reveals the exquisite humanity of family members in all their faults and glory. - Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea Readers seeking a nuanced portrayal of mother-daughter dynamics as well as a soaring portrait of courageous women during wartime will find much to love in Dillon's (The Happiest Girl in the World) latest. - Library Journal A brilliant and often heartbreaking account of a young girl striving to live a complicated dream, The Happiest Girl In The World probes the tragedy of the at-all-costs mentality that fuels Olympic performances. - Blythe Lawrence, co-author of Aly Raisman's Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything The Happiest Girl in the World is a tender reflection on the importance of second chances, the ways in which both courage and cowardice can break a person, and what it takes to make yourself whole again. - Meghan MacLean Weir, author of The Book of Essie Happiest Girl in the World is a searing look at elite gymnastics and the lengths an athlete will go to reach her goal. Dillon writes a harrowing story about how hope can be saddled with burdens, and sacrifice can wear down the soul. Timely and spirited, I devoured this book. - Elissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for. - Amy Schumer on Mercy House In Mercy House, Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose tale-and that of her housemates-is as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut. - Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman, and A Good Neighborhood

In Eyes Turned Skyward, Alena Dillon has masterfully woven together dual timelines and complex characters in an engrossing and emotional story that celebrates the contributions made by WASP members while also demonstrating how their sacrifices, losses, and lack of recognition by the government impacted their lives following the war. - Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Flight City A brilliant and often heartbreaking account of a young girl striving to live a complicated dream, The Happiest Girl In The World probes the tragedy of the at-all-costs mentality that fuels Olympic performances. - Blythe Lawrence, co-author of Aly Raisman's Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything The Happiest Girl in the World is a tender reflection on the importance of second chances, the ways in which both courage and cowardice can break a person, and what it takes to make yourself whole again. - Meghan MacLean Weir, author of The Book of Essie Happiest Girl in the World is a searing look at elite gymnastics and the lengths an athlete will go to reach her goal. Dillon writes a harrowing story about how hope can be saddled with burdens, and sacrifice can wear down the soul. Timely and spirited, I devoured this book. - Elissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects - fictional and real - any other way. - PopSugar Dillon (Mercy House) explores the dark side of elite gymnastics in her engrossing ripped-from-the-headlines latest...Dillon's excellent psychological drama will stay with readers. - Publishers Weekly A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for. - Amy Schumer on Mercy House In Mercy House, Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose tale-and that of her housemates-is as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut. - Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman, and A Good Neighborhood

Author Information

Alena Dillon's work has appeared in Slice Magazine, The Rumpus, and Seventh Wave, among others. She earned her MFA from Fairfield University. Mercy House is her debut novel. She lives on the north shore of Boston with her husband, son, and their black labrador, Penny.

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