The Bookseller

by Cynthia Swanson

Overview

In 1960s Colorado, a shy bookseller must reconcile her quiet life with the tantalizing world of her dreams.
Denver, 1962: Kitty Miller once loved a doctor named Kevin, but it didn't work out the way she had hoped. Now she leads a quiet life, running a bookshop with her best friend and enjoying the freedom that comes with being single. Then the dreams begin.
Denver, 1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It's everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted—but it only exists when she sleeps.
Kitty enjoys her nighttime forays into this dream world. But with each visit, the more irresistibly real Katharyn's life becomes. As the lines between dream and reality begin to blur, Kitty must figure out what is real and what is imagined . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062333025
Publisher:	Harper
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Cynthia Swanson is a writer and designer. She has published short fiction in 13th Moon, Kalliope, Sojourner, and other periodicals; her story in 13th Moon was a Pushcart Prize nominee. The Bookseller, her first novel, was an Indie Next pick and is being translated into eleven languages.

Editorial Reviews

Cynthia Swanson’s novel will make you think about the paths you could have taken—but even more so, what you can learn from them to make your reality richer.” — Redbook Magazine

“What if? These words tantalize and haunt us. In The Bookseller, writing with a sharp-tinged empathic pen, Cynthia Swanson takes us on a startling journey where a woman is thrust into the alternative world that might have been, had she made different choices.” — Randy Susan Meyers, author of Accidents of Marriage

“Cynthia Swanson’s The Bookseller is both a delightful and haunting exploration of identity, love and loss. With great style and compassion, the author asks the age-old question: ‘What if my life were different?’ The answers in this affecting debut novel are truly surprising.” — Joanna Hershon, author of A Dual Inheritance

“I inhaled The Bookseller. I loved both of Kitty’s worlds, and refused to put the book down until I saw how the tension between the two worlds resolved. A deeply satisfying read.” — Ann Napolitano, author of A Good Hard Look

“Swanson masterfully crafts both Kitty’s and Katharyn’s worlds, leaving open the question of which of them is real until the final pages. Swanson’s evocative novel freshly considers the timeless question, ‘What if?’ ” — Publishers Weekly

“The novel delivers on its fantasy scenario like a modern-day fairy tale…. proves highly satisfying.” — USA Today

“Dexterously traversing past and present, fact and fiction, Swanson’s clever first novel ingeniously explores the inventive ways the human spirit copes with trauma.” — Booklist

“This is a stunner of a debut novel, astonishingly tight and fast paced. The 1960s tone is elegant and even, and Kitty/Katharyn’s journey is intriguing…. This will especially resonate with fans of the movie Sliding Doors and the authors Anna Quindlen and Anita Shreve.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Swanson’s debut novel is slightly mysterious and thoroughly engrossing, one of those books that will stay with the reader long after it is complete.” — Romantic Times

“This is the story of a woman coming to terms with who she is; both woman and novel are beautiful.” — Shelf Awareness

“. . . An accomplished first novel. It is interesting, intriguing, and ultimately satisfying.” — New York Journal of Books

From the Publisher

I inhaled The Bookseller. I loved both of Kitty’s worlds, and refused to put the book down until I saw how the tension between the two worlds resolved. A deeply satisfying read.

Ann Napolitano

What if? These words tantalize and haunt us. In The Bookseller, writing with a sharp-tinged empathic pen, Cynthia Swanson takes us on a startling journey where a woman is thrust into the alternative world that might have been, had she made different choices.

Randy Susan Meyers

Swanson’s debut novel is slightly mysterious and thoroughly engrossing, one of those books that will stay with the reader long after it is complete.

Romantic Times

Cynthia Swanson’s The Bookseller is both a delightful and haunting exploration of identity, love and loss. With great style and compassion, the author asks the age-old question: ‘What if my life were different?’ The answers in this affecting debut novel are truly surprising.

Joanna Hershon

The novel delivers on its fantasy scenario like a modern-day fairy tale…. proves highly satisfying.

USA Today

Cynthia Swanson’s novel will make you think about the paths you could have taken—but even more so, what you can learn from them to make your reality richer.

Redbook Magazine

Dexterously traversing past and present, fact and fiction, Swanson’s clever first novel ingeniously explores the inventive ways the human spirit copes with trauma.

Booklist

This is the story of a woman coming to terms with who she is; both woman and novel are beautiful.

Shelf Awareness

Dexterously traversing past and present, fact and fiction, Swanson’s clever first novel ingeniously explores the inventive ways the human spirit copes with trauma.

Booklist

The novel delivers on its fantasy scenario like a modern-day fairy tale…. proves highly satisfying.

USA Today

. . . An accomplished first novel. It is interesting, intriguing, and ultimately satisfying.

New York Journal of Books