Brunonia Barry burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel, The Lace Reader, a story filled with magic, romance and an ensnaring web of family secrets. Initially self-published, The Lace Reader garnered so many rave reviews and such a loyal following that it was eventually picked up by HarperCollins and became a bestseller.
Now Barry is back with another enthralling novel that is sure to please previous fans as well as gain her new devotees. The Map of True Places tells the story of Zee Finch, a young therapist who is struggling to navigate the tumultuous waters of adulthood. Toil and turmoil are nothing new to Zee, whose life has never been set on a straight course; as a young girl, she watched her manic-depressive mother die before her very eyes, an event which forced Zee to grow up quicker than most and is a burden she still carries with her—one that grows heavier by the day. When one of her patients commits suicide, Zee retreats to her childhood home in Salem, Massachusetts, only to find that her father is gravely ill. As Zee juggles the demands of caring for her father and also meeting her own needs, old memories and guilt resurface, prompting her to slowly untangle the snarls of her past so that she may find peace in her future.
Gripping and emotionally taut, this is a novel brimming with both the messy and the lovely parts of life. A provocative examination of family, aging and finding your true place in the world, The Map of True Places is sure to smoothly sail Barry up the bestseller list once more.
