NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society comes a wise, witty, and exuberant novel, perfect for fans of Lee Smith, that illuminates the power of loyalty and forgiveness, memory and truth, and the courage it takes to do what’s right. Annie Barrows once again evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town filled with extraordinary … of a small town filled with extraordinary characters. Her new novel, The Truth According to Us, brings to life an inquisitive young girl, her beloved aunt, and the alluring visitor who changes the course of their destiny forever.
In the summer of 1938, Layla Beck’s father, a United States senator, cuts off her allowance and demands that she find employment on the Federal Writers’ Project, a New Deal jobs program. Within days, Layla finds herself far from her accustomed social whirl, assigned to cover the history of the remote mill town of Macedonia, West Virginia, and destined, in her opinion, to go completely mad with boredom. But once she secures a room in the home of the unconventional Romeyn family, she is drawn into their complex world and soon discovers that the truth of the town is entangled in the thorny past of the Romeyn dynasty.
At the Romeyn house, twelve-year-old Willa is desperate to learn everything in her quest to acquire her favorite virtues of ferocity and devotion—a search that leads her into a thicket of mysteries, including the questionable business that occupies her charismatic father and the reason her adored aunt Jottie remains unmarried. Layla’s arrival strikes a match to the family veneer, bringing to light buried secrets that will tell a new tale about the Romeyns. As Willa peels back the layers of her family’s past, and Layla delves deeper into town legend, everyone involved is transformed—and their personal histories completely rewritten.
Praise for The Truth According to Us
“As delightfully eccentric as Guernsey yet refreshingly different . . . an epic but intimate family novel with richly imagined characters . . . Willa’s indomitable spirit, keen sense of adventure and innate intelligence reminded me of two other motherless girls in literature: Scout Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Flavia de Luce in Alan Bradley’s big-hearted British mystery series.”—The Washington Post
“The Truth According to Us has all the characteristics of a great summer read: A plot that makes you want to keep turning the pages; a setting that makes you feel like you’re inhabiting another time and place; and characters who become people you’re sad to leave behind—and thus who always stay with you.”—Miami Herald
“It takes a brave author to make the heroine of a new novel an observant and feisty girl . . . like Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. . . . But Barrows . . . has created a believable and touching character in Willa.”—USA Today
“[A] heartwarming coming-of-age novel [that] sparkles with folksy depictions of a tight-knit family and life in a small town . . . full of richly drawn, memorable characters.”—The Seattle Times
“A big, juicy family saga with warm humor and tragic twists . . . The story gets more and more absorbing as it moves briskly along.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Annie Barrows leaves no doubt that she is a storyteller of rare caliber, with wisdom and insight to spare. Every page rings like a bell.”—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
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This is the second book I’ve read by this author and found both utterly pleasing. The story of a young woman coming into herself after her father disowns her.
Well written story with interesting characters.
The characters in this book are complex; the good mix with the bad, and the truth is often not what it seems. With all the ups and downs of the book, the young protagonist really makes the story.
I loved the characters in this book and I couldn’t put the book down. Treat yourself to an engrossing story that touches the heart.
Best book I have read in awhile. Loved the characters and how they interact.
Good study of human interaction. Good use of showing different perspectives. A little simplistic in some spots.
Interesting book with funny characters and lots of secrets that get slowly revealed.
I loved the down home feeling of the story and the characters were so well developed I could have believed they lived close by. ! Summer fun, excellent beach read.
Novel about a young rich girl who is basically forced by her father to go on relief (takes place in 1938) and go to a small town in West Virginia and write its history. Well done, great characters.
Loved the characters & twists in the story as well as a great representation of living small town early 1900’s.
Excellent read characterization was wonderful this is the story through the eyes of a young girl during prohibition. The setting is in the south in a small town where everybody knows One another . It involves a crime that was devastating The young girl and covers the truth of this crime and it falls apart her father in tares the family apart. The young girls aunt has a big heart and is cherished by everyone in the town
The author captures the flavor of a small West Virginia backwater town during the depression. Characters are well- developed and engaging and the two person point of view adds dimension.
Loved it!
This is a wonderful story of family set in depression times. The story speaks to different interpretations of family members recalation of events and how those affect members of the family.
Pretty good reading.
Definitely the selfawareness of Flavia de Luce mixed with southern heat and sense of family first. A good read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of life from a young southern girls view of her world
I loved this book. The author creates the most wonderful characters.
Set in the depths of the Great Depression, she paints a perfect picture of the struggles and small triumphs of everyday life in a time of great uncertainty.
I’ve read it twice and am waiting awhile before sinking myself into it again.