A Map of the World
Jane Hamilton, Frank Muller, C.J. Critt
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars
3.81
· 36 ratings · 401 pages · Published: 01 May 1992
A loner by nature, Alice is torn between a yearning for solitude coupled with a deep need to be at the center of a perfect family. On this particular day, Emma has started the morning with a violent tantrum, her little sister Claire is eating pennies, and it is Alice's turn to watch her neighbor's two small girls as well as her own. She absentmindedly steals a minute alone that quickly becomes ten: time enough for a devastating accident to occur. Her neighbor's daughter Lizzy drowns in the farm's pond, and Alice - whose own volatility and unmasked directness keep her on the outskirts of acceptance - becomes the perfect scapegoat. At the same time, a seemingly trivial incident from Alice's past resurfaces and takes on gigantic proportions, leading the Goodwins far from Lizzy's death into a maze of guilt and doubt culminating in a harrowing court trial and the family's shattering downfall.
Tagged as:
- contemporary 3
- literary fiction 3
- drama 3
- realistic 3
- family 3
- historical fiction 2
- tragedy 2
- 20th century 2
- friendship 2
- grief 1
- epic 1
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- content warnings
- death / grief 2
- format - reader age
- audiobook 2
- anthology 1
- adult fiction 1