The Cliffs

More about the book

A deeply satisfying novel about family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming unfolds around a Victorian house perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, steeped in a century of mysteries. When Jane Flanagan stumbles upon the abandoned house as a teenager, it becomes her refuge from her tumultuous home life. Two decades later, now a Harvard archivist, Jane returns to her Maine roots after a career and marital crisis, only to find the house transformed into a glossy, unrecognizable version of its former self by new owner Genevieve. Convinced of its haunting, Genevieve enlists Jane to research the house's history and the women who once lived there. As Jane delves into the past, she uncovers a tapestry of lost lovers, artistic awakenings, and the lingering effects of colonialism, revealing a narrative that predates even Maine itself. The novel is described as entrancing and compulsively readable, blending humor with heartbreak, making it an engaging exploration of personal and historical legacies.