The Paper Palace

A Novel

By: Miranda Cowley Heller

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

THE PAPER PALACE IS:

“Filled with secrets, love, lies and a summer beach house. What more could you ask?”—Parade

“A deeply emotional love story…the unraveling of secrets, lies and a very complex love triangle.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club July ’21 Pick)

"Nail-biting." —Town & Country

“A magnificent page-turner.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author

“[An] irresistible placement of a complicated family in a bewitching place.” —The New York Times

A story of summer, secrets, love, and lies: in the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.

“This house, this place, knows all my secrets.”

It is a perfect August morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace”—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.

Beautiful, Raw, Perfect summer read

Definitely a must read! The author takes you on a journey filled with vibrant memories from childhood to adulthood that are sure to resonate with you on lots of levels. The struggle for loving two beautiful people and overcoming the past that has haunted her is so well written that you feel like you have lived the life with her... you won’t be disappointed!

exemplary

I couldn't stop! finished it in 3 days...I felt like I was there with them through everything!

Could’ve been so good.

Loved the characters, the storylines, the setting, however, everything was disclosed during the book. Ending was just meh.

Wow, not my usual read.

For me this book started-off VERY slowly. But about a third of the way in, I was hooked. I did really enjoy the story- still not sure who I would recommend it to.

LOVED IT. every minute.

Narrator brought this story to LIFE, LOVED her ability to take on the characters