Content levels
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
Reckless and passionate, Eleanor is a bohemian artist with a weakness for the pretty models she sculpts. When she moves from urban Seattle to a sleepy suburb, she forges an unexpected friendship with Laurel, a Fundamentalist Christian mother of six. As their connection deepens, Eleanor realizes that Laurel's family is not as perfect as it seems, and that the most dangerous lessons are sometimes learned at home. Known in the United States as a poet, Carol Guess uses lyrical language and multiple narrative voices to bring Eleanor's story to a startling conclusion.
Homeschooling: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This adult literary novel contains sexual content involving a bohemian lesbian artist, mature themes of religious fundamentalism and family dysfunction, and dark revelations about domestic abuse within a fundamentalist household.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, steamy sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include child abuse, domestic violence, and religious trauma (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers will be drawn to the lyrical prose and complex exploration of friendship across cultural divides.