junction of earth & sky

a new book by Susan Buttenwieser

Published by Manilla Press August 1st, available to pre-order now:

"This is a book of remarkable insight and empathy. The novel's kaleidoscopic view of one family over six generations drew me right into the characters' lives and wouldn't let me go. I will be thinking about the special bond between Alice and Marnie for a long time."

CHARMAINE WILKERSON , author of BLACK CAKE

Coming of age in 1940s England, Alice's life is thrown into chaos under the shadow of the war. Forced to let go of her hopes and dreams, she finds herself uprooted to America and a life she never could have imagined.

Decades later, it is the 1990s and Alice's granddaughter Marnie is living out of a worn-out Chevy Nova, running heroin and cocaine along the New England coastline. Yet she carries with her memories of a nurtured childhood in hardscrabble Rhode Island, where all the disappointments of her young parents were eclipsed by her grandmother's love.

Spanning six decades and two continents, from the shores of WWII England to the underside of 1990s America, JUNCTION OF EARTH AND SKY unfolds - in multiple timelines - the enduring bond of grandmother and granddaughter, plagued by the past but determined to find their place in the world against all the odds.

"Written in precise and vivid prose, Junction of Earth and Sky combines the emotional breadth of an epic with the attention to specific, everyday detail of a short story collection. A moving and hopeful novel about intergenerational trauma and the struggle to break the chain."
Imogen Crimp, author of A Very Nice Girl

"If I'd give one piece of advice to readers of this debut (debut! How is this a debut?), it's that this is a book to savor. Alice and Marnie feel like they were crafted slowly and carefully and that's how they should be read. Without a doubt this book is a love story, but the romantic relationships aren't the centre point (in fact they are often disastrous). Instead this is a love story between a granddaughter and a grandmother, both of whom we get to know as children, as adults, in their worst times and in their best. I don't often re-read these days but I think this book could get even better on a second or third reading; there is so much to unpick. Susan writes characters who will stay with me for a long time."
Caroline Corcoran, author of What Happened on Floor 34?

"Through masterfully woven multiple timelines and vividly drawn characters, Junction of Earth and Sky reveals three generations of women overcoming loss, domestic violence, and addiction, ultimately surviving thanks to an abiding love between grandmother and granddaughter."
Virginia Pye, author of The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swain