A remarkable book from The New York Times in 2016, awarded as the #1 Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, a notable book from The Washington Post in 2016, and a Top Ten Book by Slate. "Nathan Hill is a maestro." - John Irving

It's 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson hasn't seen his mother, Faye, in decades—not since she left the family when he was a boy. Now she has reappeared after committing an absurd crime that electrifies the evening news and stirs a politically divided country. The media portrays Faye as a radical hippie with a dirty past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is the true one? Two facts are certain: she is facing serious charges, and she needs Samuel's help. To save her, Samuel must embark on his own journey and uncover long-buried secrets about the woman he thought he knew, secrets that span generations.