Sarah Blake Libri

A sweeping, heart-wrenching novel about three generations of a privileged American family and the secrets that bind them. The Miltons, a powerful New York family, seem to have it all in 1935: an elegant apartment, two beautiful boys, and an enviable love. However, tragedy strikes, leading Ogden to comfort Kitty through sailing and picnics on a small island off the coast of Maine, which they eventually buy. For generations, the Miltons of Crockett Island enjoy this private paradise. Fast forward to 1959, and the world is changing. Ogden's firm hires Len Levy, a Jewish man who earns admiration from both his boss and the boss's daughter. When Len visits the island, the Milton family's principles and prejudices are challenged. By the dawn of the 21st century, the family's wealth has dwindled, and the island is up for sale. Kitty's granddaughter returns for one last visit, uncovering unsettling truths about her family's fortune and gaining insight into the silences that have lingered throughout her life. This novel explores themes of memory, identity, love, and family loyalty, offering a powerful and provocative narrative that captivates readers.

"A dreamy and transgressive feminist retelling of the Great Flood from the perspective of Noah's wife as she wrestles with the mysterious metaphysics of womanhood at the end of the world." —O, The Oprah Magazine With the coming of the Great Flood—the mother of all disasters—only one family was spared, drifting on an endless sea, waiting for the waters to subside. We know the story of Noah, moved by divine vision to launch their escape. Now, in a work of astounding invention, acclaimed writer Sarah Blake reclaims the story of his wife, Naamah, the matriarch who kept them alive. Here is the woman torn between faith and fury, lending her strength to her sons and their wives, caring for an unruly menagerie of restless creatures, silently mourning the lover she left behind. Here is the woman escaping into the unreceded waters, where a seductive angel tempts her to join a strange and haunted world. Here is the woman tormented by dreams and questions of her own—questions of service and self-determination, of history and memory, of the kindness or cruelty of fate. In fresh and modern language, Blake revisits the story of the Ark that rescued life on earth, and rediscovers the agonizing burdens endured by the woman at the heart of the story. Naamah is a parable for our time: a provocative fable of body, spirit, and resilience.

The stories of a small Cape Cod postmistress and an American radio reporter stationed in London collide on the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II, a meeting that is shaped by a broken promise to deliver a letter.

Epic poem of survival, following a nameless main character lost in the woods.