The New York Times bestselling author of Labor Day and After Her returns with a poignant story about the true meaning—and the true price—of friendship.
Drinking
cost Helen her marriage and custody of her seven-year-old son, Ollie.
Once an aspiring art photographer, she now makes ends meet taking
portraits of school children and working for a caterer. Recovering from
her addiction, she spends lonely evenings checking out profiles on an
online dating site. Weekend visits with her son are awkward. He’s
drifting away from her, fast.
When she meets Ava and Swift
Havilland, the vulnerable Helen is instantly enchanted. Wealthy,
connected philanthropists, they have their own charity devoted to
rescuing dogs. Their home is filled with fabulous friends, edgy art, and
dazzling parties.
Then Helen meets Elliott, a kind, quiet
accountant who offers loyalty and love with none of her newfound
friends’ fireworks. To Swift and Ava, he’s boring. But even worse than
that, he’s unimpressed by them.
As Helen increasingly falls under
the Havillands’ influence—running errands, doing random chores,
questioning her relationship with Elliott—Ava and Swift hold out the
most seductive gift: their influence and help to regain custody of her
son. But the debt Helen owes them is about to come due.
Ollie
witnesses an accident involving Swift, his grown son, and the daughter
of the Havillands’ housekeeper. With her young son’s future in the
balance, Helen must choose between the truth and the friends who have
given her everything.