The Malign Ghosts of Summer - by Ann McMan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Two-time Lambda Literary Award winner Ann McMan returns with The Malign Ghosts of Summer--a lyrical, multi-voiced sapphic novel that explores the fragile architecture of the lives we build, the resilience required to rebuild them, and the enduring power of friendship that sustains us through it all.

Told through the interwoven perspectives of four unforgettable characters--Meg, a talented chef turned trailblazing food writer; Camille, her childhood best friend and unrequited first love; Laurent, a razor-sharp food critic and loyal confidant who sees through Meg's bravado; and Alice, a fearless photographer who dares Meg to live out loud--this richly layered novel spans decades, continents, and emotional terrains.

When the polio epidemic sweeps across the nation, and Meg's own heart and body are forever altered, grief threatens to consume her. But through Laurent's unrelenting friendship and the slow-burning intimacy she cultivates with Alice, Meg begins to reimagine her future. In writing, she finds more than sustenance--she discovers memory, meaning, and a language through which to express her love for food.

From postwar Paris to mid-century New York City and the remote beauty of Lake Champlain, The Malign Ghosts of Summer explores how love--both unspoken and declared--can shape a life. As each character grapples with loss, longing, and the search for self, their voices converge in a story of reinvention, chosen family, and the quiet, radiant triumph of becoming who you were always meant to be.

About the Author

ANN McMAN is the author of fifteen novels and two short story collections. A two-time Lambda Literary Award winner, she has also received multiple Independent Publisher (IPPY) and Foreword INDIES medals, as well as Golden Crown Literary Society Goldies. A laureate of the Alice B. Foundation for her outstanding body of work, she divides her time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Grand Isle, Vermont.