A woman, a house, the history that haunts them: J. Courtney Sullivan's ‘The Cliffs.’

On this episode of Fully Booked, New York Times–bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan discusses The Cliffs (Knopf, July 2). Her latest novel— this month’s pick—chronicles the rich history of a coastal Maine property that offers refuge and vexation to generations of women. As Kirkus writes in a starred review, “Sullivan—whose bestsellers include, most recently, Friends and Strangers (2020)—writes with her usual compassion, insight, and sensitivity, creating multidimensional characters about whom, even as they make regrettable mistakes, the reader unwaveringly cares.”

Sullivan is the author of Commencement, Maine, The Engagements, and Saints for All Occasions, as well as the forewords to new editions of the classic novels Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

Here’s a bit more from our starred review of The Cliffs:

“Jane Flanagan, who lives in Awadapquit, Maine, with her alcoholic mother and chip-off-the-old-block sister, is in high school when she first sees the house, perched on a cliff overlooking the water. Deserted, rotting, and creepy, but boasting colorful turrets and an abiding sense of mystery, the abandoned Victorian home fascinates Jane. It becomes her refuge, where she can escape her life’s hassles and feel at peace. Eventually, Jane goes to college (Wesleyan) and gets a graduate degree in American history (Yale). She lands her ‘dream job’ as an archivist at Harvard and her dream husband, a handsome, kind economics professor who runs marathons and bakes. Then, in one boozy blowout of a night not long after her mother’s death, Jane explodes her whole dreamy life. When she returns to Awadapquit to ready her mother’s cluttered home for sale and contend with her equally messy legacy, Jane connects with Genevieve Richards, a wealthy woman who’s bought the old house and, while renovating, heedlessly bulldozed its history.…Hired by Genevieve to unearth the house’s secrets and its often painful past, Jane must contend with her own.”

Sullivan and I discuss what it’s like to have your novel chosen by a big book club (#ReadWithJenna, Reese’s Book Club). We talk about what’s possible for whom at what time in history, vis-a-vis the characters in The Cliffs; why contemporary homeowners with large renovation budgets are obsessed with white walls and open-concept kitchens; and how this novel got its title. Then we get into the Choose Your Own Adventure­ portion of our conversation, stemming from the word haunts in Kirkus’ review of The Cliffs: We talk about Clementine, a psychic medium; the novel’s vast ensemble cast; whether you can be friends with a ghost; whether psychics who see the future just have a strong sense of human nature; how much of history is an invention; her research; Claire Messud’s This Strange Eventful History; living in a small town; Stacey D’Erasmo’s The Long Run; Sullivan’s long artistic career, and much more.

And in a sponsored interview, I chat with Dan Yaccarino, author-illustrator of The Luna Sisters and Their Amazing Lunafish (Holiday House, July 9), which Kirkus calls “outlandish science fiction fun for the younger set.” In this graphic novel for beginning readers, twins sisters Nera and Lucy, who live on the moon, are complete opposites who are often at odds. But the shared gift of a lunafish on their 8th birthday unexpectedly compels them to join forces for the greater good.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

EDITORS’ PICKS:

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza (Holiday House)

Samira’s Worst Best Summer by Nina Hamza (Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins)

The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck (Viking)

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Not That Kind of Call Girl by Nova García

The Optical Lasso by Marc Corwin

Rock Creek by Kevin Flynn

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.