Home of the American Circus: A Novel

by Allison Larkin

Overview

The acclaimed author of the “lyrical coming-of-age novel” (Good Morning America) The People We Keep returns with a luminous new story of redemption, breaking generational curses, and the power of family in its truest form.

After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago.

Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668008416
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Allison Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novels The People We Keep, Stay, Why Can’t I Be You, and Swimming for Sunlight. Her short fiction has been published in the Summerset Review and Slice, and nonfiction in Author in Progress, a how-to guide from Writer’s Digest Books, and the dog anthology I’m Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Jeremy, and their rescue dog, Roxy.

Editorial Reviews

"Allison Larkin...just keeps raising the bar on her own peerless talent. Home of the American Circus is a character study wrapped in wit and deep-fried in emotional resilience, sprinkled with Larkin's trademark gutting human insight. If anyone is still searching for The Great American Novel, I humbly suggest this may be it." —Parade

"Another masterful portrait of found family from Allison Larkin, who always lets the good hearts of her characters shine through." —Book Riot

“This powerful story of emotional healing and chosen family will resonate with readers who enjoyed Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful.” —Booklist

“Allison Larkin follows up her warmhearted The People We Keep with another moving, unputdownable book . . . As in all of Larkin’s books, the characters in Home of the American Circus feel fully alive with quirks and characteristics that cause them trouble, but readers still want to hang out with them for a few hundred pages, if not longer.” —Bay City News

“[A] naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it’s banter at the bar Freya’s working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold.” —Associated Press (AP)

“Home follows you wherever you go, for better or for worse—and no book explores this notion better than Home of the American Circus . . . one of those books that you never want to end. I savored every detail of this story, from its gorgeous prose and meaningful relationships to its redemptive, riveting storyline. Run away and read Home of the American Circus! You won’t be disappointed.” —Book of the Month

“Charming...Larkin explores with tenderness and nuance the strong yet complicated relationship between her protagonists, and successfully uses the details of home repair as a metaphor for the rebuilding of Freya’s and Aubrey’s lives. It’s a cozy tale of new beginnings.” —Publishers Weekly

"Larkin skillfully blends contemporary realism with historical footnotes about Somers' legacy as the birthplace of the American circus. The result is an elegant meditation on generational repair, full of small surprises and deep feeling. It's a novel that trusts the reader to listen closely—and rewards them for it. Larkin writes with humor, heart and an understanding of relationships and identity, often centering women finding their voice or reclaiming their place in the world. She balances wit and vulnerability, avoiding cynicism while still acknowledging life's messiness." —Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

“Home of the American Circus is filled with that particular ‘Larkinesque’ honesty and heart. I loved spending time in Somers, NY with the novel’s rich characters and their complex lives. And Freya, the heroine, is so compelling I found myself thinking of her long after I finished reading. Allie Larkin proves yet again why she’s one of my favorite writers, and I absolutely loved this gripping, beautiful, big-hearted novel.” —Renee Swindle, author of Shake Down the Stars

"Welcome to Somers, New York, the birthplace of the American circus — where Freya Arnald reluctantly returns to the falling-down home she inherited from her parents, to dig a future for herself and her niece out from her troubled past. Larkin’s hauntingly gorgeous story of family secrets, shame, and redemption will warm hearts and inspire hope." — Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris

"In Home of the American Circus, Allie Larkin illuminates the other Gen X we haven't seen in movies and books: the quiet, thoughtful, uncertain kids who grew into adults waiting for their moment. This book is a brilliant study of small-town life and the cautious wants of a broken heart. You will not be able to forget any of the characters, human or elephant.” —Ethan Joella, author of The Same Bright Stars

"A tender and heartbreaking exploration of what it's like to come crawling back to a home you once fled. Amid her keen observations on life in small towns, Larkin shows us the crushing despair of failure and the fearlessness it brings. You will come away from this book changed, eyes bleary with nostalgia and hope for the future." —Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

“Told with compassion, humor, and honesty, Allison Larkin’s stunning Home of the American Circus is a poignant tale of estrangement, redefining family, reckoning with the past, and healing through challenging but ultimately empowering circumstances. Readers will fall in love with Larkin’s cast of vivid characters and won’t want to say goodbye at the end of the book.” —Cassandra Dunn, author of The Art of Adapting

“In her new novel, Home of the American Circus, Allison Larkin has given us a main character so real, so genuine, so alive that we feel we’ve known her forever. Freya and her family and friends are clearly imagined, sharply drawn, and very much worth spending your time with.” —Jon Clinch, author of Marley and The General and Julia

From the Publisher