You Are the Love of My Life
A Novel
Susan Richards Shreve (Author)
“Spare, elegant and absolutely riveting. . . . Cancel those dinner plans—you’ll want to keep reading.”—Joanna Powell, People
It is 1973 and Watergate is on everyone’s lips. Lucy Painter is a
children's book illustrator and a single mother of two. She leaves New York and
the married father of her children to live in a tightly knit Washington
neighborhood in the house where she grew up and
where she discovered her father’s suicide. Lucy
hopes for a fresh start, but her life is full of secrets: her children know
nothing of her father’s death or the identity of their own
father. As the new neighbors enter their insular lives, her family’s
safety and stability become threatened.
From a writer whose “unique
presentation of human experience makes reading a delight” (Elizabeth Strout), You Are the Love of
My Life is a story of how
shame leads to secrets, secrets to lies, and how lies stand in the way of human
connection.
Book Details
- Hardcover
- August 2012
-
ISBN 978-0-393-08280-7
- 6.5 × 9.5 in
/ 304 pages
- Territory Rights: Worldwide
Other Formats
-
Paperback
Endorsements & Reviews
“Graceful moments of connection nestled within tales of discord and deception . . . subtly convincing.
” — Donna Rifkind, Washington Post
“Starred review. Handles complex themes of identity, loyalty, privacy, and commitment with finesse, delicacy, and insight . . . a worthy book club recommendation.” — Booklist
“With her engaging tale and prose as fluid as Sue Miller’s or Anna Quindlen’s, if quirkier, Shreve hits the commercial bull’s eye.” — Kirkus Reviews
“You Are the Love of My Life takes place in a cozy little neighborhood in Washington, where every family tries to conceal not-so-cozy secrets under tattered falsehoods. It's a memorable study of how lies can enslave people and truth set them free.” — Edith Pearlman
“The corrosive power of family secrets is at the heart of this gripping tale—a beautifully written page-turner that kept me in its thrall until the very end.” — Dani Shapiro
“I couldn't put this book down! From its opening pages, which hint at the mysteries and complexities of the human heart, right until the final pages when Susan Richards Shreve reveals her characters' secrets and disappointments and hopes, I found You Are the Love of My Life completely irresistible.” — Ann Hood
“The high price of a truth concealed is at the center of this remarkable, ultimately hopeful novel. Susan Shreve reveals her characters and their lives with empathy, wisdom, and, best of all, not a whiff of condescension .” — Ron Rash
“Susan Shreve is a terrific storyteller who always brings her characters to vivid, sympathetic life. You Are the Love of my Life is my favorite of her books.” — Hilma Wolitzer
“If you haven't discovered Shreve before, and you like the novels of writers like Sue Miller and Anne Tyler, you should try her now.... It's plot driven in the best way: You want to know what happens to these characters because they've gotten inside your skin.... This one is perfect book club fodder. Much Big Fiction is being published this fall, but You Are the Love of My Life may speak to you more.” — Slate
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