A beguiling novel of small-town friendship and finding yourself.

The perfect read

In The Truth According to Us, Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. As she subtly unpacks the emotional intricacies of the Romeyn family and their small West Virginia town in the wake of the Great Depression, we’re struck by the slipperiness of history—how the stories we tell each other and ourselves often demand to be interrogated; how the things we’re driven to know about our families, our towns, our closest intimates, will always change us, sometimes over and over. Barrows is at her best here. Every page rings like a bell.

An epic but intimate family novel with richly imagined characters, an intriguing plot and the social sensibilities you would expect of a story set in the South ... sizzling.

Barrows, who co-wrote the surprise bestseller The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008), takes a similarly panoramic approach to the insular hamlet of Macedonia, West Virginia, using multiple points of view with epistolary interludes…[T]his unique corner of Americana—a mélange of Yankee and Southern cultures—is re-created as vividly as the very different Anglo-European milieu of Guernsey. Undeniably entertaining.

The Truth According to Us is an irresistible novel, a sly charmer of a story about a small town in Depression-era West Virginia whose history is rewritten by a debutante on the run. Family histories, too, are unraveled, but mended by the fierce, strong women who dominate this delightful page turner, a tribute to the power of love and forgiveness to heal even the most heartbreaking betrayals.

Lovers of Southern family sagas will appreciate this beautifully written novel.

An utterly enthralling, evocative story of loyalty and love, trust and truth.

The heat shimmers off the pages.

You will not be disappointed ... I loved it.

An absolute treasure of a book ...a deliciously nostalgic story that harks back to a slower, simpler time. Impossible to resist

I could [it] read again and again ... you can immerse yourself completely; the characters and setting feel as real as those around you, and when (if) you take a break you'll be shocked to find yourself back in real life.

Why You'll love it: Barrows effortlessly nails the interplay between her characters, her humour and small-town quirks are a joy

The Truth According to Us will spirit you away to a town from a bygone age, where customs and habits may be different, but where the hearts of its inhabitants, both dark and loving, remain recognisable.

A spellbinding tale of family secrets, love, redemption and hope.

Evocative

A joy from start to end

Annie Barrows creates a worthy successor to Lee’s beloved Scout Finch….The Truth According to Us has all the characteristics of a great summer read

It takes a brave author to make the heroine of a new novel an observant and feisty girl...Like Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird...Barrows...has created a believable and touching character in Willa.

Sparkles with folksy depictions of a tight-knit family and life in a small town...Add The Truth According to Us to the stack of repeat-worthy literary pleasures.

A big, juicy family saga with warm humor and tragic twists...lively and engaging.

There is much to recommend this book...a pleasant summer read.

Good old-fashioned story-telling with a charming cast of characters

The perfect read. Read it!

Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise

A gorgeous and witty storyteller

Witty and big-hearted . . . leaves you smiling for days

For those unable to jet off to a Spanish island this summer, reading The Vacationers may be the next-best thing. . . . [A] gorgeously written novel . . . When I turned the last page, I felt as I often do when a vacation is over: grateful for the trip and mourning its end

Delicious . . . richly riveting . . . The Vacationers offers all the delights of a fluffy, read-it-with-sunglasses-on-the-beach read, made substantial by the exceptional wit, insight, intelligence and talents of its author

I loved The Vacationers; funny and poignant and beautifully observed

Straub's novel is cast from the same mould as the likes of Liza Klaussmann's Tigers in Red Weather and Maggie Shipstead's Seating Arrangements . . . The Vacationers is a holiday read in every way with a gently witty narrative that slips down as easily as a beachside cocktail

Emma Straub is a gorgeous and witty storyteller

Intimate, epic, beautifully observed

Witty and big-hearted ... leaves you smiling for days

Charming and absorbing

Funny, poignant and beautifully observed