Ingenue

Piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns to Milwaukee after her mother dies unexpectedly. She assumes she will take over the family property, the Elf House. Instead, the will leaves the house to a man with whom she has a complicated history, and she is pulled back into a romantic relationship that altered the course of her life. Forced to look at that past, she must decide whether she can claim her inheritance while keeping her secrets buried, or whether digging too deep will bring everything down on her.

Set in a post-#MeToo landscape, the novel explores the bond between mother and daughter, the weight of expectations placed on gifted children, and the personal myths people build to make sense of their lives. It also asks what becomes of a person when the qualities that once made her special are taken away.

Alternating between Saskia's childhood and the present day, the book reads as a dark, contemporary fairy tale. Desire, longing and uncertainty run through it, and the story gathers force toward a dramatic climax.