The Nearness of You: A Novel

The Nearness of You: A Novel

In this profound and lyrical novel, acclaimed author Amanda Eyre Ward explores the deeper meanings of motherhoodâ€”from the first blissful hello to the heart-wrenching prospect of saying goodbye.

Brilliant heart surgeon Suzette Kendall is stunned when Hyland, her husband of fifteen years, admits his yearning for a child. From the beginning theyâ€™d decided that having children was not an option, as Suzette feared passing along the genes that landed her mother in a mental institution. But Hyland proposes a different idea: a baby via surrogate.

Suzette agrees, and what follows is a whirlwind of candidate selection, hospital visits, and Suzetteâ€™s doubts over whether sheâ€™s made the right decision. A young woman named Dorothy Muscarello is chosen as the one who will help make this family complete. For Dorrie, surrogacy (and the money that comes with it) are her opportunity to leave behind a troubled past and create a future for herselfâ€”one full of possibility. But this situation also forces all three of themâ€”Dorrie, Suzette, and Hylandâ€”to face a devastating uncertainty that will reverberate in the years to come.

Beautifully shifting between perspectives, The Nearness of You deftly explores the connections we form, the families we create, and the love we hold most dear.

Advance praise for The Nearness of You

â€œThe Nearness of You includes everything I love about Amanda Eyre Wardâ€™s books: edgy eloquence, ingenious plotting, and relationships that are never, not for a single paragraph, simple or predictable. Through Suzette, Dorrie, Hyland, and Jayne, Ward reveals parenthood as an enterprise that is as wrenching as it is beautiful. You will love these characters and this book.â€â€”Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of The Precious One

â€œDeftly paced and enthralling, Amanda Eyre Wardâ€™s The Nearness of You takes on the complexity of what it means to be a mother, and provides insights both heartening and harrowing.â€â€”Mira Jacob, author of The Sleepwalkerâ€™s Guide to Dancing

â€œThe Nearness of You is not just an arresting meditation on motherhood but also an exploration of how we can seize the lives weâ€™ve been given and transform them into the lives we want to live. Like all of Wardâ€™s novels, this bookâ€™s intrigue and charm demand that it be indulged in a single sitting.â€â€”Vendela Vida, author of The Diverâ€™s Clothes Lie Empty

Country	USA
Author	Amanda Eyre Ward
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9781101887165
Label	Ballantine Books
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
NumberOfPages	240
PublicationDate	2017-02-14
Publisher	Ballantine Books
ReleaseDate	2017-02-14
Studio	Ballantine Books