IN THE SHADOW OF THE GREENBRIER

Nestled in the hills of West Virginia lies the town of White Sulphur Springs, home to the Greenbrier Resort. Long a playground for presidents and film stars, the Greenbrier sits resplendent, exerting an undeniable force on the town and on the Zelner family. Over the course of ten decades, four generations of Zelners - Sol, Sylvia, Doree, and Jordan - each must ask who they are and what they want.

In 1942, young mother Sylvia is desperate to escape her stifling marriage, especially when it means co-running Zelner's general store while awaiting word of her relatives overseas. When the Greenbrier is commandeered for use as a luxury prison for diplomats of Axis powers based in Washington, Sylvia finds her loyalties strained and her heart on the line.

Seventeen years later, Sylvia's daughter Doree struggles to fit in. Between wrangling her brothers and enduring the indignities of teenage affairs, Doree eagerly awaits the day she'll leave for college and meet a nice Jewish boy. But when a handsome stranger comes to town and her brother Alan's interest in the hotel's underground project puts him and Sylvia at risk, Doree finds her heart violently torn between family and desire.

Inspired by the remarkable yet little-known true events that shaped West Virginia history, In the Shadow of the Greenbrier follows four generations of one Jewish American family in the inevitable clash between legacy and individualism.

Emily Matchar has written for an array of publications, including the New York Times, The Washington Post, Outside, Smithsonian, and the Atlantic. Originally from North Carolina, she lives with her husband and two sons. She is the author of Homeward Bound (S&S; nonfiction; 2013).