The Divorcees

An evocative period tale. Beaird's impressive debut is filled with evocative period detail and populated with an intriguing tapestry of beautifully drawn characters * Observer * The Divorces is gorgeously crafted, perfectly balanced, and full of complex, moving and vividly wrought characters. The sunshot pool at the Golden Yarrow, the searing desert heat, the dark glamor of the casinos will stay with me for a long time. Rowan Beaird writes with such ease and confidence that it's hard to believe this novel is her first. An excellent, deeply compelling read -- Lauren Groff, New York Times bestselling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies A delicious literary page-turner from a fierce new voice -- Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You and The Great Believers A stunning debut, Rowan Beaird's The Divorces is a glittering desert mirage behind which lurks a shocking web of secrets . . . Tense, dark, and richly layered, lovers of Patricia Highsmith will devour this compulsively readable, standout novel -- Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters The Divorces, a sultry fever dream of a novel set on a Reno divorce ranch in the 1950s, should be read by a pool on a blisteringly hot day, preferably with a drink in hand. Its lush, perfectly wrought prose-and the secrets and deceptions at the center of the seductive plot-will unsettle you and keep you turning the pages. This book shimmers and startles on every page -- Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light The women of The Divorces captivated me: drenched in desert light, searching for themselves in every possible mirror. Their relationships to one another, gorgeously rendered, have an intensity fueled by self-discovery-these are connections full of deep understanding, shocking deception, devastating betrayal, and real love. Beaird is a wondrous new talent who has given us an unforgettable, lushly assured novel -- Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson As stylish as its cover, with razor-sharp prose and an atmosphere simmering with tension, I have savoured every word. -- Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things I adored The Divorces - such an atmospheric and layered story of female independence, solidarity and deception, set on a Reno 'divorce ranch' in 1951. As a divorce, I devoured it -- Julie Mae Cohen A stunning portrayal of the lengths women in 1950s America must go to in order to assure their safety and freedom. Compelling, rich and with a dark undercurrent, I couldn't put it down. An outstanding debut -- Marianne Cronin, author of 100 Years of Lenni and Margot This exquisite book needs to be read slowly and savoured as if it was rich dark chocolate. This tale of complicated women waiting in 1950s Reno for their divorce is threaded with a tension that grips you. A sultry page turner. I highly recommend -- Julie Owen Moylan It's layered, literary with a subtle darkness that's quite fun. * Dawn O' Porter *

Rowan Beaird is a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart. She has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and StoryStudio. She currently works at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Divorces is her first novel.