The acclaimed author of the “lyrical coming-of-age novel” (Good Morning America) The People We Keep returns with a luminous new story of redemption, breaking generational curses, and the power of family in its truest form.
After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago.
Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home.
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PRAISE
“Told with compassion, humor, and honesty, Allison Larkin’s stunning Home of the American Circus is a poignant tale of estrangement, redefining family, reckoning with the past, and healing through challenging but ultimately empowering circumstances. Readers will fall in love with Larkin’s cast of vivid characters and won’t want to say goodbye at the end of the book.”
- Cassandra Dunn, author of The Art of Adapting
"Home of the American Circus is filled with that particular 'Larkinesque' honesty and heart. I loved spending time in Somers, NY with the novel's rich characters and their complex lives. And Freya, the heroine, is so compelling I thought of her long after I finished reading. Allie Larkin again proves why she's one of my favorite writers, and I absolutely loved this gripping, beautiful, big-hearted novel."
- Renee Swindle, author of Shake Down the Stars