Synopses & Reviews
Screenwriter Harper has had two flops in succession. He needs a hit and he needs it badly. Empty of any new ideas and crippled with writer's block, he decides that he will "steal" a love story. He cant do that in Hollywood, of course, so he heads to the East Coast for change of scenery, some new ideas, and above all, that good love story he needs. Taking on a fake identity as a historian interested in local folklore, he interviews townsfolk under the guise of getting to know their family stories. And in Bluff, SC he meets Ella, a beautiful young woman who has lost her true love in a sailing accident; he drowned while saving her. Harper believes he has finally found his story: a love big enough to sacrifice your life for. But the thing is, Ella isn't telling the truth. Her husband left her; she has a crappy job selling wedding shoes, and she lost her best friend in the divorce. In desperate need of a love story herself, Ella tells Harper the story of the life she wishes she had, and in the process, she starts acting like the woman she wishes she'd always been. Every time Ella tells Harper more of the made-up version of her life—her idea of love—she thinks, "one more time." But soon they are both too deep into the lies to get out. Add dysfunctional families, small town chaos, eccentric neighbors and exes on both sides, the knot of lies looks too tight to undo. Can two people come together for all the wrong reasons and still make it right?
Review
Praise for Patti Callahan Henry: "Patti Callahan Henry seamlessly combines mystery, family love, and personal journey all in one engrossing tale. From the intriguing beginning to the touching ending,The Stories We Tell is filled with the warmth, heart and compassion that have become the trademark of her novels." --Diane Chamberlain, author of Necessary Lies
"Patti Callahan Henry's THE STORIES WE TELL is a lyrical exploration of love and longing, secrets and suspicion, family and friendship, all told with the author's trademark insights into the hollows and curves of the heart and mind of a working woman who must balance the demands of motherhood, wifedom, sisterhood, and yes, the deepest cravings for artistic expression. I always love the stories PCH tells!" --Mary Kay Andrews, author of Ladies Night
"THE STORIES WE TELL fearlessly explores the textures of the human heart, finding a path toward hope through a Savannah that is jagged with class issues, faith misused, and broken trust. Henry loses you in a landscape peopled with secret keepers, storytellers and liars, and proves that in the end, love is the only reliable compass. This is everything you expect from Patti Callahan Henry---lyrical writing, characters worth rooting for, a sure-footed belief in the power of goodness---plus a twisty plot that will keep the pages turning long into the night."
-Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Someone Elses Love Story
"Book clubs rejoice—your next pick is here! THE STORIES WE TELL unfolds in surprising ways; Patti Callahan Henry understands the delicate balance of power inside a marriage. They can look so externally perfect they can even fool even the people living inside them... for a little while. I loved her portrayal of a strong woman who isnt afraid to be successful, even when others find it threatening, and who is bold enough to seek the truth, even when living inside the lies is safer and more comfortable."
-Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants and Ape House
"Henry has mastered the art of the slow reveal, leading the reader down unexpected paths. Readers who enjoy southern womens fiction à la Joshilyn Jackson (Someone Elses Love Story, 2013) will appreciate this emotionally satisfying novel." -Booklist
"The Stories We Tell is the book we have waiting for Patti Callahan Henry to write . . . the complexities of the relationships in this book are the heart of it . . . all of these relationships are handled with deftness and clarity by Henry. She goes inside her characters heads and paints word pictures that truly bring them to life . . . There has always been a beauty to Henrys writing but now she adds a layer of real maturity to her story. It is one readers can absorb and enjoy with complete freedom. Henry has this story in the palm of her hand and she places it before us with care and consideration. The Stories We Tell is the book we have been waiting for her to write." -Huffington Post Books
"Richly layered and deeply accessible, The Stories We Tell is a moving exploration of love, family and finding the courage to move on." -Shelf Awareness
Synopsis
As we like to say in the south,
"Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story."
Ella's life has been completely upended. She's young, beautiful, and deeply in love--until her husband dies in a tragic sailing accident while trying save her. Or so she'll have everyone believe. Screenwriter Hunter needs a hit, but crippling writers' block and a serious lack of motivation are getting him nowhere. He's on the look-out for a love story. It doesn't matter who it belongs to.
When Hunter and Ella meet in Watersend, South Carolina it feels like the perfect match, something close to fate. In Ella, Hunter finds the perfect love story, full of longing and sacrifice. It's the stuff of epic films. In Hunter, Ella finds possibility. It's an opportunity to live out a fantasy - the life she wishes she had because hers is too painful. And more real. Besides. what's a little white lie between strangers?
But one lie leads to another, and soon Hunter and Ella find themselves caught in a web of deceit. As they try to untangle their lies and reclaim their own lives, they feel something stronger is keeping them together. From New York Times bestselling author, Patti Callahan Henry, The Idea of Love asks, "Can two people come together for all the wrong reasons and still make it right?"
About the Author
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY is a full-time writer, wife, and mother. She is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels include And Then I Found You, Between the Tides, and Driftwood Summer. Parri lives with her husband and three children in Mountain Brook, Alabama, where she is working on her next novel.