The States

Summary

“Eloquent and alluring, The States is a novel in which dreams crash into lived realities.” Forward Reviews

“A beautiful and thoughtful modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion that explores a modern heroine’s discovery of the difference between fantasy and agency.” IndieReader

"An inventive novel about wishes and regret." Kirkus Reviews

From the award-winning author of The Control Problem and When the Wave Collapses comes a modern reimagining of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a story of love, obligation, and second chances.

Tildy Sullivan is the middle child in an elite yet fading Manhattan family. Her quiet practicality hides her deep, profound longing for childhood summers in western Ireland. She also carries a secret regret. After her mother’s death, she’s persuaded to abandon Ireland and the love of the local boy, Aiden.

When Tildy volunteers for a lucid dreaming experiment, it gives her all she wants – a life lived for her family during the day and a secret, perfect Ireland of her own at night. Will she face reality, or succumb to the ease of her dreams?