Introduction

"[A] provocative page-turner." —People

“In Parkhurst’s deft treatment, Harmony becomes a story of our time. . . Parkhurst cements herself as a writer capable of astonishing humanity and exquisite prose.” —Washington Post

“Gorgeously written and patently original.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dogs of Babel, a taut, emotionally wrenching story of how a seemingly "normal" family could become desperate enough to leave everything behind and move to a "family camp" in New Hampshire--a life-changing experience that alters them forever.

How far will a mother go to save her family? The Hammond family is living in DC, where everything seems to be going just fine, until it becomes clear that the oldest daughter, Tilly, is developing abnormally--a mix of off-the-charts genius and social incompetence. Once Tilly--whose condition is deemed undiagnosable--is kicked out of the last school in the area, her mother Alexandra is out of ideas.

The family turns to Camp Harmony and the wisdom of child behavior guru Scott Bean for a solution. But what they discover in the woods of New Hampshire will push them to the very limit. Told from the alternating perspectives of both Alexandra and her younger daughter Iris (the book's Nick Carraway), this is a unputdownable story about the strength of love, the bonds of family, and how you survive the unthinkable.

Editorial Review

An Amazon Best Book of August 2016: I can’t stop thinking about Carolyn Parkhurst’s novel. It’s beautifully moving, unusual and endlessly provocative. What would you do if your eldest daughter – who is brilliant but has a litany of behavioral issues – was kicked out of all the local schools and deemed “undiagnosable”? In Harmony, Alexandra Hammond will do anything for Tilly. She’ll even pack up her family, put all of her trust in a stranger and child behavior expert and follow him to their new home: a dilapidated camp in New Hampshire. But from the moment they arrive at Camp Harmony, something is awry. Rendered with incredible compassion, insight and suspense, Parkhurst deftly examines one family’s extreme decision to give their children – one on the spectrum, the other neurotypical – the chance to thrive. This book will elicit the gamut of emotions from tears to laughter, which can switch with the turn of page. It’s a perfect book club book, one that will inevitably lead to weighty but life-affirming discussions about Tilly’s nuanced mind, how proud and protective her family is of her, as well and Parkhurst’s outstanding portrayal of autism. --Al Woodworth, The Amazon Book Review

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