Book of Summers

“Elegantly written and intensely intimate” this story of a complex mother-daughter relationship is “a moving, poetic debut” (Marisa de los Santos, New York Times–bestselling author of Love Walked In).

For nine-year-old Beth Lowe, it should have been a magical summer—sun-kissed days lounging in rickety deck chairs, nights gathered around the fire. But what begins as an innocent vacation to Hungary ends with the devastating separation of her parents. Beth and her father return home alone, leaving her mother, Marika, behind.

Over the next seven summers, Beth walks a tightrope between worlds, fleeing her quiet home and distant father to bask in the intoxicating Hungarian countryside with Marika. It is during these enthralling summers that Beth comes to life and learns to love. But at sixteen, she uncovers a life-shattering secret, bringing her sacred summers with Marika abruptly to an end.

Now, years later, Beth receives a package containing a scrapbook, a haunting record of a time long forgotten. Suddenly, she is swept back to the world she left behind, forced to confront the betrayal that destroyed her—and to search her heart for forgiveness.

“So tender and lovely. This is a novel I will keep on my bookshelf forever.” —Rebecca Rasmussen, author of The Bird Sisters

“Thoroughly enchanting . . . Hall casts a spell with this coming-of-age tale that feels . . . ‘like magic caught and held.’” —Booklist

“A poignant tale of a daughter strung between two parents and of the kind of silence and secrets that destroy families.” —Kirkus Reviews Review

“Hall’s lovely and haunting debut . . . will entrance readers.” —Publishers Weekly

“An addictive read and an amazing debut.” —Cosmopolitan magazine, UK