When Madeline Was Young
“Hamilton’s careful, unpretentious prose finds moral nuances both in a full-blown antiwar debate and in the small details of Madeline’s care.”
People
New York Times bestselling author Jane Hamilton is the PEN/Faulkner Award–winning novelist of such acclaimed works as The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World. With When Madeline Was Young, she delivers a poignant and often funny tale of a unique family in conservative, 1950s society.
Shortly after Aaron and Madeline are married, Madeline suffers brain damage in an accident and is left with the metal capabilities of a seven-year-old. When Aaron remarries, he and his new wife Julia defy convention and keep Madeline in their home, caring for her as though she is their own daughter. In time, Aaron and Julia’s son Mac learns that his older “sister” is actually his father’s first wife. And as the decades slip by, his parents’ nontraditional values profoundly affect how Mac approaches the world.
Praise