Windfalls: A Novel

"Windfalls" is a passionate story of motherhood -- both tender and tough -- that takes an unflinching look at the many choices facing every woman. Young and pregnant, Cerise and Anna make very different decisions about their lives. While teenage Cerise struggles to support herself and her young daughter, Anna finishes college, marries, and later gives birth to two daughters of her own. After the birth of her second child, a tragic accident tears Cerise's life apart, and she loses her already tenuous position in society. As "Windfalls" progresses, Cerise and Anna seem destined to approach each other, their stories dramatically interwoven. When finally their lives intersect, each woman emerges stronger, inspired by what she sees in the other, changed by what she learns.

Jean Hegland's debut novel "Into the Forest" was "beautifully written...impeccably authentic" "(Kirkus Reviews)." In its successor, she delves even deeper into the human heart, taking an unflinching look at the choices facing every woman. A remarkable book from an accomplished writer, "Windfalls" is hard to put down and impossible to forget.