Told with urgency, intimacy, and piercing emotion, this New York Times bestselling novel is the riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed, and abandoned by a desire for a world beyond her own.

Nora Eldridge is a reliable, but unremarkable, friend and neighbor, always on the fringe of other people's achievements. But the arrival of the Shahid family-dashing Skandar, a Lebanese scholar, glamorous Sirena, an Italian artist, and their son, Reza-draws her into a complex and exciting new world. Nora's happiness pushes her beyond her boundaries, until Sirena's careless ambition leads to a shattering betrayal.


A New York Times Book Review Notable Book * A Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year * A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book * A Huffington Post Best Book * A Boston GlobeBest Book of the Year * A Kirkus Best Fiction Book * A Goodreads Best Book