John Burnham Schwartz crafts narratives that delve into the intricacies of human connection and the complexities of the heart. His prose is distinguished by its elegant style and profound insight into the human condition. Schwartz explores universal themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning with a keen eye for detail and emotional depth. His novels invite readers into thoughtful contemplation, leaving a lasting resonance.
Running from her father's brutal legacy, Joseph Stalin's daughter defects to the United States during the turbulence of the 1960s. For fans of We Were the Lucky Ones and A Gentleman in Moscow, this sweeping historical novel and unexpected love story is inspired by the remarkable life of Svetlana Alliluyeva.
13 years after an accident and a cover-up that led to prison time, Dwight Arno is a man who has started over without moving on. Dwight manages a sporting goods store and dates a woman to whom he hasn't revealed the truth about his past. Then an unexpected arrival throws his life into turmoil and exposes all that he's hidden.
In "The Commoner," Haruko becomes the first nonaristocratic woman to marry into the Japanese monarchy in 1959. Facing cruelty and control from the Empress, she endures a breakdown after giving birth. Thirty years later, now Empress, she influences her son's marriage, leading to tragic outcomes. A poignant exploration of isolation and female connection.
A cycle of violence and retribution is set in motion as two haunted men are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an unexpected and horrendous death. Ethan, a respected professor at a small New England college, is wracked by an obsession for revenge that threatens to tear his family apart. Dwight, fleeing his crime yet hoping to get caught, wrestles with overwhelming guilt and his sense of obligation to his son. As these two men's lives unravel, Reservation Road moves to its startling conclusion.
A compulsively readable novel of feeling and suspense about two men and their families, and the hit-and-run death of a young boy.On an ordinary night in a quiet Connecticut town, the Learners stop at a gas station on their way home from a concert. Josh Learner, age 10, is standing at the side of the road when a car comes racing around the bend. Josh is hit and instantly killed. The car speeds away.The boy's father saw it happen. His eight-year-old sister believes it was her fault. His mother tries to keep herself -- and her family -- together. And as they slip into nightmare, the novel becomes a harrowing countdown to confrontation between the hit-and-run driver -- half running from his crime, half wanting to pay for it -- and Ethan Learner, in deadly pursuit of the unknown man who killed his son.Already hailed as "a nonstop read about people locked in a terrible embrace" (Ward Just) and a" first-rate work of fiction disguised as a page-turning thriller" (David Halberstam), Reservation Road is powerful, wrenching, impossible to put down.