Through the richly intertwined narratives of two women from different generations, Ashley Hay, known for her âelegant prose, which draws warm and textured portraits as it celebrates the web of human storiesâ (New York Times Book Review) weaves an intricate, bighearted tale of the many small decisionsâthe invisible momentsâthat come to make a life.
âReaders who loved the quiet introspection of Anita Shreveâs The Pilotâs Wife and Elizabeth Stroutâs Olive Kitteridge will enjoy the detailed emotional journeys of Hayâs characters. Their stories will linger long after the final page is turnedâ (Library Journal).
When Elsie Gormley falls and is forced to leave her Brisbane home of sixty-two years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to make the house their own. Still, Lucy canât help but feel that sheâs unwittingly stumbled into an entirely new lifeânew house, new city, new babyâand she struggles to navigate the journey from adventurous lover to young parent.
In her nearby nursing facility, Elsie traces the years she spent in her beloved house, where she too transformed from a naĂŻve newlywed into a wife and mother, and eventually, a widow. Gradually, the boundary between present and past becomes more porous for her, and for Lucyâbecause the house has secrets of its own, and its rooms seem to share with Lucy memories from Elsieâs life.
Luminous and deeply affecting, A Hundred Small Lessons is a âlyrically written portrayalâ (BookPage, Top Pick) of what it means to be human, and how a place can transform who we are. Itâs about a house that becomes much more than a home, and the shifting identities of mother and daughter; father and son. Above all else, this is a story of the surprising and miraculous ways that our lives intersect with those who have come before us, and those who follow.