Small Kingdoms

An unputdownable mother-daughter novel about secrets, the search for truth, and what it takes to find your place in the world. In the summer of 1993, 15-year-old Ellie Stein watches her unflappable mother drop and scatter an entire popcorn canister after hearing a news report about the death of a photographer. Jessamyn has never said much about her past life in New York, but her reaction prompts Ellie to embark on a quest to learn about the dead photographer, and to unearth a story she never imagined. In the spring of 1973, 21-year-old Jessamyn Stein hitchhikes from Michigan to New York and finds herself working in the music clubs of lower Manhattan and then as a model. But as Jessamyn tries to make her way in the city, violence marks her days. She finds unexpected reprieve in a charming fixer and dealer, who rescues her from a mugging. But she soon realizes he comes with dangers of his own. Set between Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the 1990s and 1970s New York, and culminating in the historic summer of 1977 blackout, Small Kingdoms is an extraordinary dual coming of age novel for fans of Coco Mellors, Lily King, and Ann Packer.