What We Leave Behind - by Sue Halpern (Paperback)

About the Book

"From the author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, a tenderhearted story of two very different women whose lives intersect in surprising and endearing ways, perfect for fans of Joanna Goodman, Patry Francis, and Susan Henderson Reeling after her mother's unexpected death, adopted high school senior Melody is left to work through her grief in the midst of school and college applications-and under the shadow of her own future. Suddenly reconsidering everything she once took as certain Melody must piece together the fragments of her once happy family, and the future feels more uncertain than ever before. Meanwhile, Candace is an independent workaholic uninterested in relationships or children. Her quiet life is interrupted, however, when a casual Thanksgiving dinner turns into a rescue mission for a stranger and his dog. Through a tangled web of connections, she becomes acquainted with Melody's father, Eddie, and her once regimented life takes an unexpected turn. Bighearted and deeply relatable, What We Leave Behind grapples with destiny, belonging, and love and makes us question our own idea of family: the kind you're born into and the kind you create"--

Book Synopsis

From the author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, a tenderhearted story of two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies passed down by their parents--for fans of Dani Shapiro, Ann Napolitano, and Jodi Picoult.

It's the perennial question: are we a product of how we were raised, or is our identity hardwired by our genetic inheritance? When her adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, high school senior Melody Marcus doubles down on her refusal to learn anything about her birth parents. In this age of 23&me, though, that may not be possible, and the secrets hidden in her DNA threaten to upend everything she knows about herself and her family.

For Candace Milton, a successful woman in her forties, the collateral damage from her parents' tortured marriage has led to a life of intentional unattachment. She is happy--enough. But a chance encounter with a friend of Melody's father will challenge this assumption and force her to reimagine who she is and who she might become.

Big-hearted, evocative, and achingly relatable, What We Leave Behind grapples with destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of family: the kind we're born into and the kind we create.

Review Quotes

"A novel that is populated with complex yet sympathetic characters who will touch readers' hearts and open their minds." - Library Journal
"Halpern's well-developed characters and complex family relationships will appeal to fans of contemporary relationship fiction writers like Jodi Picoult or Sue Miller." - Booklist
"Halpern's characters jump off the page as living, breathing individuals that we want to root for. While Melody and Candace are nothing alike in background and age, they have much in common with how they view their past, present, and future. Readers will find many ways to connect with these two women as well as the other people in their lives." - Woman Around Town
"What We Leave Behind is an intimate and thought-provoking novel that explores the complicated ties of family, identity, and emotional inheritance. Through the parallel journeys of Melody and Candace, Sue Halpern paints a layered portrait of what it means to search for truth when the past refuses to stay buried. The writing is both tender and sharp, with characters that feel honest and deeply human. This story invites readers to sit with the messiness of love, loss, and self-discovery and to consider the invisible threads that bind us." - Book Referees
"This engrossing novel asks the age-old question of nature versus nurture. Is it how we're raised or is identity hardwired? Get ready for an exploration of love, family, loss and relationships." - Lee Woodruff
"The stories of the two women are woven together well, in a thoughtful and emotionally deep book." - Motherhood Moment
"Finely choreographed and lucidly told, Halpern infuses this tale of derailments and second chances with free-ranging empathy, lithe humor, and penetrating insights into the human psyche. [Halpern is] a discerning and sensitive novelist." - Booklist (starred review) on Summer Hours at the Robbers Library
"Sometimes the best stories in the library aren't found on its shelves; they're walking through its doors and congregating by the reference desk. Sue Halpern knows this and mines the setting for comic and tragicomic gold." - Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book Is Overdue! and The Deadbeat, on Summer Hours at the Robbers Library
"Sue Halpern's nonfiction books tell wonderful and engaging stories in prose that is crystal clear and beautifully crafted. So, it's no surprise that when she turns her attention to fiction she casts her spell of narrative enchantment. This novel presents a full cast of intriguing, complex characters and a heart-warming message about how our losses are often what allow us to connect with each other. And who can resist falling in love with a novel in which a small-town library is saved and with it the community that finds meaning and solace there!" - Julia Alvarez, New York Times bestselling author of In the Time of the Butterflies, on Summer Hours at The Robbers Library
"Summer Hours at The Robbers Library is whip-smart, funny and moving all at once. A rare combination." - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Academy Award-nominated actress, on Summer Hours at The Robbers Library