Best Book of the Year by People, The Washington Post, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson.

Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother  who arrives with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo.

When friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.