Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2014
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Paperback Original
Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Anna Quindlen, Golden State is a powerful, mesmerizing new novel that explores the intricacies of marriage, family, and the profound moments that shape our lives.
Doctor Julie Walker has just signed her divorce papers when she receives news that her younger sister, Heather, has gone into labor. Though theirs is a strained relationship, Julie sets out for the hospital to be at her sister's side--no easy task, as the streets of San Francisco have erupted into chaos. Today is the day that Californians vote on whether or not to secede from the United States. Today is also the day that Julie will find herself at the epicenter of a violent standoff in which she is forced to examine both the promising and painful parts of her past--her Southern childhood; her romance with her husband, Tom; her estrangement from Heather; and the shattering incident that led to her greatest heartbreak.
Infused with emotional depth and poignancy, Golden State takes readers on a journey over the course of a single, unforgettable day--through an extraordinary landscape of love, loss, and hope.
Author Q&A and Discussion Guide
"Starred Review. Mesmerizing and intricate... [a] riveting read that can be recommended to fans of Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard." - Booklist
"A breathtaking read and one I'll not soon forget." - Melanie Benjamin, author of The Aviator's Wife
"I haven't read such a gripping, bittersweet, moving novel in ages. Golden State sweeps you up, whisks you away, and doesn't let you go till the very end. Michelle Richmond, author of the unforgettable The Year of Fog, does it again." - Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key
"This is the kind of book you want to read slowly, but instead you read it in a mad rush to find out where this incredibly talented writer is taking you." - Ann Packer, author of Swim Back to Me
"So imaginative, so heartfelt—a masterly braid of memory and urgency. Richmond is in top form, and has made a book of exquisite grace." - Andrew Sean Greer, author of The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells
"Dazzlingly smart and moving, Golden State doesn't just shine, it blazes." - Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You
This information about Golden State was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michelle Richmond is the author of the award-winning story collection The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress, the novels Dream of the Blue Room and No One You Know, and the New York Times and international bestseller The Year of Fog. Her new novel, Golden State, will be published in February, 2014. Her new story collection, Hum, winner of the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize, will be also be published in 2014.
Richmond has received the Hillsdale Award for Fiction from the Fellowship of Southern Writers, the Associated Writing Programs Award, and the Mississippi Review Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in Glimmer Train, the Oxford American, Salon, Playboy, The Guardian, The Believer, Best American Fantasy, The Kenyon Review, The Missouri Review, and many magazines ...
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