Perris, California: A Novel

'Stark captures female solidarity, a shared maternal understanding and the sacredness of keeping each other's secrets... An extraordinary debut that insists that we can - and must -mend each other.' Kirkus**, starred review** '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... Harrowing, evocative, and deeply moving, Perris, California does both.' Sarah Blake, bestselling Author of The Postmistress and The Guest Book 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. A tender family story that introduces us to an indelible female character, one who speaks of the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America. 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.'