Overview

In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend Marie a secret. It's not easy being gay in Washington, DC, in the age of McCarthyism, but when she discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in Janet. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a newfound ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself-and Marie-to a danger all too real. Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can't stop thinking about her senior project and its subject-classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Between the pages of her favorite book, the stresses of Abby's own life are lost to the fictional hopes, desires, and tragedies of the characters she's reading about. She feels especially connected to one author, a woman who wrote under the pseudonym Marian Love, and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity. In this novel told in dual narratives, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley weaves together the lives of two young women connected across generations through the power of words. A stunning story of bravery, love, how far we've come, and how much farther we have to go.

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9781982542924

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Reviews

Talley toggles effectively between excerpts from Janet's book, the two women's lives, and Abby's research as the stories draw together...The tale is original and delivers some interesting LGBTQ history, and the tone of the novels within it is pleasantly pulpy. -- Publishers Weekly The books within a book are cleverly written to mimic pulp styles, and the superlative pacing will hook readers...Suspenseful parallel lesbian love stories deftly illuminate important events in LGBTQ history. -- Kirkus Reviews Creatively spanning time and genre...Fun but substantive. -- Booklist Skillfully illustrates the fear and isolation of being a lesbian teen in unforgiving times, making the larger historical context relatable and the intimate aspects visceral...A sweeping, engrossing drama full of important moments. -- Library Journal (starred review) Pulp pops off the page, and Talley is at her best...A humdinger of a read. I defy anyone to put it down until the end! -- Saundra Mitchell, author of the Vespertine series [A] wonderfully ambitious and incredibly creative exploration of queer literary history. -- Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights

The books within a book are cleverly written to mimic pulp styles, and the superlative pacing will hook readers...Suspenseful parallel lesbian love stories deftly illuminate important events in LGBTQ history. -- Kirkus Reviews Creatively spanning time and genre...Fun but substantive. -- Booklist Skillfully illustrates the fear and isolation of being a lesbian teen in unforgiving times, making the larger historical context relatable and the intimate aspects visceral...A sweeping, engrossing drama full of important moments. -- Library Journal (starred review) Pulp pops off the page, and Talley is at her best...A humdinger of a read. I defy anyone to put it down until the end! -- Saundra Mitchell, author of the Vespertine series [A] wonderfully ambitious and incredibly creative exploration of queer literary history. -- Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights

Talley toggles effectively between excerpts from Janet's book, the two women's lives, and Abby's research as the stories draw together...The tale is original and delivers some interesting LGBTQ history, and the tone of the novels within it is pleasantly pulpy. -- Publishers Weekly Creatively spanning time and genre...Fun but substantive. -- Booklist [A] wonderfully ambitious and incredibly creative exploration of queer literary history. -- Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights The books within a book are cleverly written to mimic pulp styles, and the superlative pacing will hook readers...Suspenseful parallel lesbian love stories deftly illuminate important events in LGBTQ history. -- Kirkus Reviews Skillfully illustrates the fear and isolation of being a lesbian teen in unforgiving times, making the larger historical context relatable and the intimate aspects visceral...A sweeping, engrossing drama full of important moments. -- Library Journal (starred review) Pulp pops off the page, and Talley is at her best...A humdinger of a read. I defy anyone to put it down until the end! -- Saundra Mitchell, author of the Vespertine series

Author Information

Robin Talley is the author of the highly acclaimed Lies We Tell Ourselves, which was a New York Times bestseller, as well as What We Left Behind, As I Descended, and Our Own Private Universe. Robin lives in Washington, DC, with her wife and their daughter. You can find her on the web at RobinTalley.com or on Twitter, @robin_talley.

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