The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

In the course of the novel “The Paper Palace” written by Miranda Cowley Heller, the main lady, Elle Bishop, is a married woman, and she goes to her family’s camp in Cape Cod in the summer. Switching between Elle’s present-day life and memories of her abuse and stalking by her former childhood friend Jonas, the novel takes place over the course of one day.

Taking cast centre stage, Elle struggles with the decision about her future, considering her rather problematic marriage, her true love for Jonas, and the roles she has chosen in life. It is a romantic novel expressing love, regrets, and human bonds against the region’s background, which is beautifully painted. In analysing Elle’s character, Heller casts the reader a mirror on the subject of desire and the ways in which history can never be a distant country.