The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller is fast becoming one of the breakout literary hits of 2021 – already picked as Reese’s Book Club’s July 2021 pick and widespread critical acclaim. Here, we review The Paper Palace and give our thoughts. Pick up a copy of the novel here.
The Paper Palace tells the story of Elle Bishop, a young mother, who is haunted by memories of the past in ‘The Paper Palace’ – the decaying summer camp in the back woods of Cape Cod, where her family has spent every summer. The novel starts with a sudden passionate encounter she had the night before, with her childhood friend, as her husband and mother entertained guests inside. The story then toggles back and forth between the story that unfolds over twenty-four hours and her childhood memories of The Paper Palace, unveiling family legacies of love, lies and secrets, the disintegration of the fabric of her family. Elle, ultimately has to decide between the life she has created with her husband Peter and her love for her childhood friend, Jonas.
On the surface then, the novel appears to be one of family ties and the complicated relationships between parents and children, yet the story goes a layer deeper than that, with a darker, earthier underbelly to the story that makes it more compelling. Cowley Heller emerges from the narrative as one of the next great American writers, capturing a fast-pace storyline that manages to seamlessly weave together the past and present in an intoxicating way – an immensely addictive and intoxicating story that will stay with you long after the final page.
Pick up a copy of The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller here.
