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A Novel
by Nikki Erlick
From the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit The Measure—a runaway bestseller and a Read with Jenna TODAY Show pick—comes a stunning speculative story of healing, self-discovery, forgiveness, and found friendship.
Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there's hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.
Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they're willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.
On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.
A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?
"Erlick's absorbing sophomore work, sure to be another hit, beautifully explores grief, healing, and acceptance." —Booklist (starred review)
"Erlick's follow-up to her Read with Jenna pick The Measure is a timely speculative novel about sister relationships, forgiveness, and self-discovery… Each of the characters' stories includes secrets and motives that engender surprising plot twists, yet their experiences all show aspects of shared humanity, grief, and loss that will make it easy for readers to find empathy even as the plot veers toward dystopian extremes. At its core, this is a story of hope and healing and of what people are willing to do to find them." —Library Journal
"Erlick weighs down the narrative with a prolonged setup and extended backstories, but the character work is top notch, especially as the seemingly disparate travelers find common ground in their resilience. Once this poignant road novel gets going, readers will be in no rush to see it end." —Publishers Weekly
"A masterful, tender exploration of love, loss, and the poignant echoes of memory—profoundly moving." —Jamie Ford, New York Times-bestselling author
"A deeply thought-provoking, fascinating story about the most elemental issues of humanity." —Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls and Miracle Creek
This information about The Poppy Fields was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Nikki Erlick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Measure, which was a Read with Jenna TODAY Show Book Club pick.Her work has appeared online with New York Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Indagare Travel, The Huffington Post, and Vox. She has a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree from Columbia University and lives in Los Angeles.
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