The Forgetting Tree

July 16, 2012
Soli, who made a splash with her debut, The Lotus Eaters, will captivate readers again with this twisting, intriguing tale of a grieving California woman. Claire and her husband, Forster, live an idyllic life on a citrus farm in California with their three children until their 10-year-old son is murdered in a robbery. Fifteen years later, Claire and Forster have divorced, their eldest daughters are grown, and Claire is diagnosed with breast cancer. Alone on the ranch, she needs a helping hand, and along comes Minna, a mysterious young beauty. The two women forge a co-dependent bond, and Claire sinks deeper under Minna’s spell, even though she senses danger lurking beneath. Though the story is slow and befuddling at times, Soli successfully paints an intimate portrait of two vulnerable women trying to make sense of their separately tragic lives—and becoming eerily entwined for their efforts. With her knack for beautiful prose and striking detail, this is a solid follow-up to her debut. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Associates.

April 15, 2012

On her first time out, Soli made a firm impression with The Lotus Eaters, a New York Times best seller and James Tait Black Prize winner, so it's good to welcome her back. Here, Claire throws over her high-class education to marry Forster, son of California citrus ranchers, though she knows it means grinding work and worry. Notwithstanding profound sorrows--among them the kidnapping and murder of her son--Claire loves the ranch, but now an implacable illness threatens to divide her from the land forever. Just as threatening: her mysterious and not always benevolent new caretaker, Mina. With a reading group guide and substantive promotion.

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