A dark and dazzling debut from a beguiling new voice - for fans of Beautiful Ruins and Lessons in Chemistry.
Lois Saunders thought that marrying the right man would finally cure her loneliness. But as picture-perfect as her husband is, she is suffocating in their loveless marriage. In 1951, though, unhappiness is hardly grounds for divorce - except in Reno, Nevada.
At the Golden Yarrow, the most respectable of Reno's 'divorce ranches' Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcees, all in Reno for the six weeks' residency that is the state's only divorce requirement. They spend their days riding horses and their nights flirting with cowboys, and it's as wild and fun as Lake Forest, Illinois, was prim and stifling. But it isn't until Greer Lange arrives that Lois's world truly cracks open . . .
Gorgeous, beguiling, and completely indifferent to societal convention, Greer is unlike anyone Lois has ever met - and she sees something in Lois that no one else ever has. Under her influence, Lois begins to push against the limits that have always restrained her. But how much can she really trust her mysterious new friend? And how far will she go to forge her independence, on her own terms?
Set in the glamourous, dizzying world of 1950s Reno, THE DIVORCEES is a dark, riveting page-turner and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom.
'An excellent, deeply compelling read'
Lauren Groff, bestselling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies
'A delicious literary page-turner from a fierce new voice'
Rebecca Makkai, bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You and The Great Believers
'A stunning debut. 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
'A sultry fever dream of a novel . . . This book shimmers and startles on every page'
Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light
'The women of The Divorcees captivated me . . . an unforgettable, lushly assured novel'
Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson
Author Biography:
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 DIVORCEES is her first novel.
