FRAN HAWTHORNE
Praise
"A deep dive into the pain of separation and hope for reconciliation conveyed with grace, realism, and empathy. —Kirkus Reviews
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"Hawthorne gives us brilliantly alive characters who wrestle with what we owe our children when they grow up, and what they might owe us. About parenthood, love, the mystery of estrangement and hope of reconciliation, this novel is a stunner" —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder
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"In the wake of an acrimonious divorce, Alice becomes estranged from her daughter, Esme, and grows increasingly desperate to reconnect, risking her career and friendships as she puzzles together why Esme refuses to see her. Part mystery, part family drama, Her Daughter is a poignant, page-turning, emotional read" —Jennifer Rosner, award winning author of The Yellow Bird Sings and Once We Were Home
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"To read Her Daughter is to explore the relentless pain and self-doubt of a mother’s estrangement from her only child, especially when the father’s vengeful lies keep blocking every pathway to connection. In her poignant, honest depiction of what it takes to persevere, Fran Hawthorne takes us deep into the beauty and strength of human attachment" —Mary Ann McGuigan, National Book Award finalist (1997) and author of That Very Place
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“A true page-turner! I was captivated by the richly drawn characters and gripping story, and I'm looking forward to reading much more from Fran Hawthorne” —David Heska Wanbli Weiden, award-winning author of Winter Counts and Wisdom Corner
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"In this beautifully crafted family drama, unspooled in parallel timelines, a mother strives for answers, questions herself, and aches for a crumb of communication with her long-estranged daughter. Your compassion for both women will soar as you read this relatable and realistic story." —S.M. Stevens, author of Beautiful & Terrible Things, winner of Indies Today's Best Literary Book of 2024
"Alice, a single mom, hasn’t heard from her daughter, Esme, in several years. But when she learns that Esme has been arrested, Alice begins a desperate journey to find her. Ultimately, Alice's realization of who she is and how she has related to the people around her will go straight to the reader’s heart."—Thaddeus Rutkowski, author of Safe Colors: A Novel and winner of the Asian American Writers' Workshop Members' Choice award
"Her Daughter takes us through Alice and Esme’s complicated relationship, from Alice’s longing for a child, through the unpredictable cruelty of a vengeful ex-husband, and into the mysterious, agonizing period of alienation between mother and daughter. With candor and compassion, Hawthorne highlights the heartbreaking reality of parent-child estrangement, a phenomenon which has grown to epidemic proportions in our time." —Julie Castillo, author of The Long Man’s Pillow