'A glorious debut... it will rouse your deepest well of empathy.'
Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
'Some stories grab you, shake you to the core, and never let you go... Other stories capture you by stealth, quiet beauty unfolding in ordinary moments... Perris, California does both.' - Sarah Blake, bestselling author of The Postmistress
AN EXTRAORDINARY DEBUT FOR FANS OF NOMADLAND AND DEMON COPPERHEAD
Abandoned first by her father and then her mother, Tessa grows up with her abusive stepfather and stepbrother. She survives by finding reserves of strength in herself, and by the surprising, transformative love of another teenage girl, Mel, who sees through Tessa's tough exterior to the vulnerable woman inside.
Years on, 27-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, re-encounters the woman she used to love - leading her to question the very foundations of the life she's built.
An unforgettable coming-of-age story that introduces us to one of the most indelible female characters since Kya in Delia Owen's Where the Crawdads Sing.
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'You and me, we didn't have it so easy, did we, Mama?' Tessa blinked, and tears rolled down her cheeks. 'Now that I've come to understand how complicated and painful life can be, I don't hold nothing against you.... I think mamas are mostly always trying their best. It just looks different depending on the cards they are dealt and the hurt they are holding.'
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