LISTEN TO COURTNEY’S INTERVIEW WITH MARY LOUISE KELLY ON NPR’S ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
“Riveting…The Cliffs is both a mystery and a portrayal of how houses, people and geographical locations are energetic records of what has come before…This skillful novel makes the case that knowing what came before offers us our best chance to truly understand our connections to one another, and what we owe to the land we inhabit.”
— Alice Elliott Dark, New York Times Book Review
“In J. Courtney Sullivan’s latest treasure of a novel, “The Cliffs,” the house is itself a major character…Sullivan’s extraordinary book…offers an all-encompassing view into the textures and dynamics of true kinship: the unalloyed pleasure that deep levels of knowledge and love of another person bring; the affectionate jokes, comfortably worn from decades of gentle ribbing; and, yes, even the ways that good friends might hold you to account, insisting that you be the best person you can be…It contains a hopeful vision of cultural and social justice, and does so with plenty of humane and humorous insights.”
—Daneet Steffens, The Boston Globe
“As in previous works, notably “The Engagements,” characters in this novel are created with considerable authorial care, and Sullivan’s historical research yields numerous sections with substantial depth. This is one of the pleasures of reading Sullivan’s novels: getting to know interestingly flawed characters in richly composed settings…Within a storyline that urges you to keep turning pages to see what will happen to Jane, Sullivan has included a wealth of details that are by turns lovely or heartbreaking…Loss runs through this novel, from personal tragedies to intentional ones committed against Maine’s Indigenous peoples. In a way, Sullivan’s sensitive portrayals of these demonstrate the power of reading fiction: how it can bestow both compassion and resilience on a reader. Alongside a character and at your own pace, you navigate through hard times. There is a great deal more hope here than sadness. In stories lost and then found, what you are able to salvage is all the more precious.”
—Carol Iaciofano Aucoin, WBUR
Sullivan...writes with her usual compassion, insight, and sensitivity, creating multidimensional characters about whom, even as they make regrettable mistakes, the reader unwaveringly cares. She also tells a broader story of America’s complicated history, weaving in accounts of Indigenous and Shaker women, and poses powerful questions about how to right the wrongs of the past."
— Kirkus Starred Review
This highly anticipated novel from Sullivan (Friends and Strangers) was worth the wait... A beautifully written, expansive novel...that spans generations and covers colonialism, Indigenous history, spiritualism, the Shakers, and so much more.”
— Library Journal
"The Cliffs is a stunning achievement, and J. Courtney Sullivan's best book yet. Sullivan weaves a narrative that's fascinating and thought-provoking. I literally could not put this book down."
— Ann Napolitano, New York Times best-selling author of Hello Beautiful
"J. Courtney Sullivan is so skilled at multi-threaded narratives, and this is her most ambitious book yet. Weaving together the stories of women in Maine over centuries, this novel is about maternal loss and trauma, the idea of home, and most affecting, the stories that remain untold."
— Emma Straub, New York Times best-selling author of This Time Tomorrow