THE NOVEL
About Restoration
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Available September 29, 2026
An evocative novel about an American architect who travels to rural England to restore a centuries-old barn—and finds herself rebuilding the fractured story of her own family.
It is 1984 and Risa Meier has built a successful life in San Francisco, far from the childhood losses and family secrets she has spent years trying to leave behind. But when her estranged mother unexpectedly reenters her life after nearly a decade of silence, old wounds resurface. As a series of personal tragedies force Risa to confront the past, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her family, herself, and the future she carefully planned.
Seeking distance and a fresh start, Risa accepts an opportunity in rural England, where she is tasked with restoring a centuries-old barn. As hidden histories emerge through letters, memories, and the landscape itself, the restoration becomes more than a professional challenge. The deeper she digs into the building's past, the more she is forced to confront her own inheritance of grief, loss, and longing.
Set between 1980s San Francisco and the English countryside, Restoration is a richly layered literary novel about mothers and daughters, family secrets, memory, and the transformative work of rebuilding a life.
It is 1984 and Risa Meier has built a successful life in San Francisco, far from the childhood losses and family secrets she has spent years trying to leave behind. But when her estranged mother unexpectedly reenters her life after nearly a decade of silence, old wounds resurface. As a series of personal tragedies force Risa to confront the past, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her family, herself, and the future she carefully planned.
Seeking distance and a fresh start, Risa accepts an opportunity in rural England, where she is tasked with restoring a centuries-old barn. As hidden histories emerge through letters, memories, and the landscape itself, the restoration becomes more than a professional challenge. The deeper she digs into the building's past, the more she is forced to confront her own inheritance of grief, loss, and longing.
Set between 1980s San Francisco and the English countryside, Restoration is a richly layered literary novel about mothers and daughters, family secrets, memory, and the transformative work of rebuilding a life.
"Writing Restoration
felt like wandering the
labyrinthine streets of an old city.
Each turn brought an unexpected discovery—a new plot twist, a character I hadn't anticipated, or an insight that asked me to reconsider the complexities of human relationships. More often than not, I felt less like I was inventing the story than uncovering it, surprised at every corner by where it wanted to lead me."
CAROL DAVIS · AUTHOR OF RESTORATION
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