The Phoebe Variations
A Novel
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3.8 • 9 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
National Bestseller
An Oprah Daily Best Book
An Indie Next Pick
A LibraryReads Pick
"The Phoebe Variations is a probing story about the reverberations of adoption, toxic friendship and what it means to be a mother . . . Phoebe is the best kind of unreliable narrator: smart, sensitive and always processing something."
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A stunning coming-of-age novel about friendship, mothers, and finding one's way in the world by the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World.
Seventeen-year-old Phoebe was never interested in her birth family. But on the cusp of her high school graduation, her adoptive mother, Greta, insists on a visit to meet her biological parents and siblings. The encounter is a jolt, a revelation that derails Phoebe.
With the help of her best friend Luna, Phoebe runs away—as far as their friend Patrick O’Connor’s chaotic home, where she hopes to go unnoticed among his thirteen siblings. What begins as an adolescent rebellion soon spirals into a whirlwind of transformation and self-discovery.
As Phoebe grapples with her shifting identity, she must navigate the tumultuous road out of girlhood and chart a new and unknown course.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Hamilton (The Excellent Lombards) serves up a charming story of a rebellious teen's life-changing summer before college in 1974. Phoebe Hudson's well-meaning adoptive mother, Greta, insists she meet her birth parents, the Dahlgreens, so she can see they're "regular, real people" and let go of any "fantasy" she has about them. Horrified to learn the Dahlgreens have a big family she was excluded from, Phoebe feels betrayed by Greta, whom Hamilton portrays as partly driven by self-interest. Phoebe then runs away, with help from her best friend, Luna, and crashes in their friend Patrick O'Connor's basement. After Patrick gives Phoebe a pixie cut, his 21-year-old brother, Miles, suddenly notices her stunning looks. The pair fall in love and she gets accidentally pregnant, forcing her to make a difficult series of decisions, all while facing the limit of Luna's loyalty. Hamilton displays a natural touch in her characterizations, especially Greta's struggle to find the right way to be open with Phoebe about Phoebe's birth family and Luna's competitiveness with boys, which add dimension to the entertaining tale. The author has another winner on her hands.
