A map of the world

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed author of The Book of Ruth comes a harrowing drama about a rural American family forever changed by a tragic event. The Goodwins—Howard, Alice, and their daughters, Emma and Claire—live on a Wisconsin dairy farm. Despite being viewed as "that hippie couple" by their neighbors due to their urban background, they find strength in their rural life, with Howard managing the farm and Alice working as a school nurse. Their world shatters when a neighbor's two-year-old daughter drowns in their pond while in Alice's care. Consumed by guilt, Alice's life spirals further when she is accused of sexually abusing a student. Arrested and facing a community that has already condemned her, Alice must navigate a landscape filled with lies and mistrust. As a child, she created her own map of the world to understand her surroundings; now, as an adult, she must chart a new course through overwhelming adversity. This vivid human drama explores themes of guilt, betrayal, and the complexities of family ties, capturing the essence of a disappearing rural American life and the intricate geographies of the human heart.