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HEDGE

Jane Delury

An emotionally charged, richly observed novel about a woman balancing the demands of motherhood and marriage with her own needs that will appeal to readers of Emma Straub and Mary Beth Keane.

Maud is a talented garden historian and devoted mom to daughters Ella and Louise. Motivated to reignite her career and escape her troubled marriage, she accepts a summer job restoring the garden of a lush, 19th century estate in the Hudson Valley. Reveling in her work and temporary independence, Maud relishes her days in the sun. While waiting for her daughters to join her at the end of their school year, she strikes up a friendship with a coworker, archeologist Gabriel Crews. As the two share nightly dinners, their relationship grows more intimate, and Maud starts to imagine a future outside of her stifling marriage. Once Ella and Louise arrive, however, she is torn by her desire for Gabriel, her obligations to her daughters, and her growing concern for Ella's dark moods. Is Ella acting out because she senses that Maud and Gabriel have fallen in love? What happens next is a seismic shock that profoundly changes Maud's life, as well as the lives of everyone she cares about. Deeply moving and impossible to put down, Hedge is an unforgettable portrait of a woman's longing to be a good mother while still answering the call of her soul and mind. Jane Delury is the author of The Balcony (Little, Brown) which won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her short stories have appeared in Granta, The Sewanee Review, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, Narrative, and other publications. Her awards include a PEN/O. Henry Prize, a Pushcart Special Mention, and grants from the Maryland State Arts Council. Her essays have appeared in Real Simple, Oprah.com, LitHub, and Poets and Writers. A professor at the University of Baltimore, she teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts and directs the BA in English. Originally from Sacramento, CA, she now lives in Baltimore with her family.

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Book Published 2023-06-10 by Zibby Books

Comments

Reading Hedge was like spending time with your best friend: the daring, smart, compassionate one whose wisdom opens your eyes even as her secrets stun you. Part love story, part thriller, this novel kept me entranced until the very last page. A warm, glorious and exciting read!

HEDGE is the sort of novel that immediately pulls the reader in with its engaging storytelling and its exploration of themes like marital and maternal love and betrayal. Every turn the story takes feels both surprising and earned. I loved this novel and will recommend it widely.

Hedge begins as a contemporary love story, but grows into a complex and suspenseful narrative about family. All the big themes - love, life, loss - bind together in this page-turner, with writing that is clear and riveting throughout. A gem of a book from start to finish.

It's impossible to turn away from Delury's newest novel, Hedge. I fell deeply and intensely into this story of love, loss, marriage and parenthood. These are characters, this is a book, you will never forget.

A beautiful exploration of the fragility of family life and the inherent tension between motherhood and desire. I simply could not put it down. Transfixing and utterly rewarding.

The magnificent Jane Delury explores the complexities of marriage, parenthood and art in Hedge. Maud is an every woman, relatable and strong who loves her work and her daughters but finds herself at a crossroads when a secret is revealed that will upend their lives. As Maud restores gardens to their historic beauty, she must do the same for the family she loves. Passion and persistence bring a garden to full bloom and so it goes for Maud, an unforgettable character in a story of arresting beauty and truth.

Hedge insightfully explores the complexities of marriage and motherhood, and the danger of family secrets that fester. Delury builds up her characters while breaking down their reserves, and the result is an honest, beautiful, and riveting read.

How do we protect those we love when there might be a terrible cost to ourselves? Which version of a story do we really believe about ourselves and othersand why? Delury's immersive novel is about family and lovers, passion and responsibility, and it's filled with such gorgeous writing, compassion and stunning surprises, that I couldn't bear to tear myself from the page.

Hedge has all the elements of a completely sensational story. It will rejuvenate you. It will make you think and feel. It will make you question and even, perhaps, enact some necessary changes. Most of all, it will entertain you on every level.

[A] sharply drawn portrait of anguish, loneliness, fear, and desire, it delivers an engaging new journey from ignorance to knowledge via a garden. A persuasive, quietly satisfying portrait of a woman's midlife crisis and the essential choices she makes.

Jane Delury has done the impossible: written a seemingly quiet novel about a woman trapped in a bad marriage that builds and builds and builds until suddenly you realize you're reading a page turner. I could not stop turning the pages. Hedge is a wonderful book.