The Paper Palace

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Heller, Miranda , Adult Book / Fiction / General / Heller, Miranda Cowley
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch

"Reese's book club"--Cover.
On a perfect July morning 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. 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. Over the next 24 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. -- adapted from jacket

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Fabulous submitted by lpettie on July 21, 2022, 10:06am Really transports you to the Paper Palace. Fabulous sense of place.

Loved it submitted by alyson702 on July 8, 2023, 3:39pm I loved it for the first person narrative, the structure of the book (chapters on the last 24 hours mixed with chapters from years ago and far away from Cape Cod), the deeply imperfect characters, the descriptive writing, the ending, and the family relationships.

Beautifully Written submitted by gtaylor on July 17, 2023, 4:48pm This book had me hooked from the beginning with captivating settings and imagery. This book isn’t what I’d consider a light read, however. TW: sexual abuse, child abuse, adultery
It’s a moving, heartfelt story of the weight of our secrets and the bonds built in childhood.