Rebellion Hardcover - 2017

From the rear cover

A luminous debut from an exciting new voice in fiction, Molly Patterson's Rebellion is an engrossing story about The price of pushing boundaries and following desires.

A sweeping debut that crosses continents and generations, Rebellion tells the story of Addie, Louisa, Hazel, and Juanlan: four women whose rebellions, big and small, are as unexpected as they are unforgettable.

At the heart of the novel lies a mystery: In 1900, Addie, an American missionary in China, goes missing during the Boxer Rebellion, leaving her family back home to wonder about her fate. Her sister Louisa--newly married and settled in rural Illinois--anticipates tragedy, certain that Addie's fate is intertwined with her own legacy of loss.

In 1958, Louisa's daughter Hazel has her world upended by the untimely death of her husband. Although she's now on her own with two small children and a farm to tend, it's harvest time and she is determined to keep her land and family intact. Yet even while Hazel learns to enjoy her independence, she realizes that some freedoms are more costly than expected.

Nearly a half-century later, Juanlan has returned to her parents' home in Heng'an. With her father ill, her sister-in-law soon to give birth, and the construction of a new highway rapidly changing the town she once knew, she feels pressure on every side from powers beyond her control. Frustrated by obligation and the smallness of her own dreams, Juanlan at last dares to follow desire, only to discover an anger that cannot be contained.

Moving from rural Illinois to the far reaches of China and spanning more than a century, Rebellion brilliantly links the stories of four women through action and consequence. From the secrets they keep and the adventures they embark on to the passions that ultimately drive them forward, the characters at the center of this electric debut dramatically fight against expectation in pursuit of their own thrilling fates.

Media reviews

Citations

• Booklist, 07/01/2017, Page 23
• Kirkus Reviews, 06/01/2017, Page 23
• Library Journal, 03/15/2017, Page 0
• Library Journal Prepub Alert, 03/15/2017, Page 90
• Publishers Weekly, 06/19/2017, Page 0