What We Leave Behind

Sue Halpern is the author of eight books of fiction and nonfiction, most recently Summer Hours at the Robbers Library. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the New York Review of Books, Rolling Stone, and Condé Nast Traveler. A former New Yorker staff writer, she lives in Vermont with her husband, the writer and environmental activist Bill McKibben, and is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.

“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"Sue Halpern’s latest novel takes on the eternal big questions (identity, fate vs. free will) as well as many of their modern permutations (the pandora’s box of genetic testing, the bankruptcy of meritocracy) in a novel that’s as propulsive as it is philosophical. Whether they’re related by blood, law, or the more contingent bond of friendship, Halpern’s beguiling, prickly characters achieve small but indisputable measures of grace as they reckon with their families of origin. With superb plotting and raucous wit added to the mix, What We Leave Behind is a deliciously absorbing read." — Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home