Halsey Street

Halsey Street is a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. It is a modern-day story of family, loss, and renewal. Penelope Grand has moved back to Brooklyn to take care of her father, but gentrification has changed her old neighborhood. When she moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she's found a semblance of family and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 26 June 2018
Publisher: Amazon Publishing

A captivating tale of family, loss, and renewal, Halsey Street delves into the profound human yearning to belong, not just to a place but to one another. Penelope Grand, having abandoned her failed artistic career in Pittsburgh, returns to her childhood home in Brooklyn to care for her ailing father. While she acknowledges that her future will differ from her dreams, she is forced to confront the drastic transformation her beloved neighborhood has undergone due to gentrification. Once familiar landmarks have been demolished, and the once-diverse community has been replaced by wealthy white strangers. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic, a decision that Penelope views as both courageous and unforgivable.

When Penelope rents the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she believes she has found a sense of belonging and perhaps even love. However, her world is once again turned upside down when Mirella sends a postcard, requesting reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened and secrets are revealed, Penelope embarks on a journey of sacrifice and self-discovery, traversing the vast ocean between them.

Halsey Street is an engrossing debut that alternates between the perspectives of these two captivating and troubled women. Mirella has one final opportunity to win back the heart of the daughter she had lost before departing New York, while Penelope must break free from the grip of the past and chart her course in life. Through their journeys, the novel explores themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and the complexities of family relationships, offering a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of the human experience.

Weight: 344g
Dimension: 140 x 209 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503941168