The acclaimed author of the “lyrical coming-of-age novel” (Good Morning America) The People We Keep returns with a luminous new story of redemption, breaking generational curses, and the power of family in its truest form.
After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago.
Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home.
“Charming...Larkin explores with tenderness and nuance the strong yet complicated relationship between her protagonists, and successfully uses the details of home repair as a metaphor for the rebuilding of Freya’s and Aubrey’s lives. It’s a cozy tale of new beginnings.” —Publishers Weekly
“Home of the American Circus is filled with that particular ‘Larkinesque’ honesty and heart. I loved spending time in Somers, NY with the novel’s rich characters and their complex lives. And Freya, the heroine, is so compelling I found myself thinking of her long after I finished reading. Allie Larkin proves yet again why she’s one of my favorite writers, and I absolutely loved this gripping, beautiful, big-hearted novel.” —Renee Swindle, author of Shake Down the Stars
"Welcome to Somers, New York, the birthplace of the American circus — where Freya Arnald reluctantly returns to the falling-down home she inherited from her parents, to dig a future for herself and her niece out from her troubled past. Larkin’s hauntingly gorgeous story of family secrets, shame, and redemption will warm hearts and inspire hope." — Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris
"In Home of the American Circus, Allie Larkin illuminates the other Gen X we haven't seen in movies and books: the quiet, thoughtful, uncertain kids who grew into adults waiting for their moment. This book is a brilliant study of small-town life and the cautious wants of a broken heart. You will not be able to forget any of the characters, human or elephant.” —Ethan Joella, author of The Same Bright Stars
