The World To See

“When Nadine Harvey, recent college grad turned horticulturalist, finally grazes the trappings of celebrity-drizzled Los Angeles, she hits the jackpot: charged to tend the plants of a mysterious C. Davis, she finds herself alongside a glittering pool, listening to the guitar strains of her teenage idol, Celeste of Celeste and the Heart’s Desire. Celeste is a lonelier rock star than one might hope, and invites Nadine to collaborate with her on a project that will revive her career, but the partnership is not without its pitfalls. With this, her fourth book, Jessica Handler extends her range even farther: The World to See places both Nadine and Celeste in the tension of a present that depends very heavily on the secrets of the past. As both characters hatch a very surface-seeming plan to honor ‘the foremothers,’ the richly drawn narratives of their own, actual mothers intrude, making each woman plumb further depths. Readers are placed gently into a dramatic trajectory that is at turns surprising but ultimately satisfying, the yields of this novel reach far beyond the conclusion of a carefully woven plot. The World to See, rather, leaves readers with an understanding of how these characters have tendrilled their roots into the very meat of their hearts.”

“Handler brings her trademark scything gaze and compassionate understanding of human nature to this vivid tale of two women navigating their relationships with their mothers, their entwined histories, and their music. Her nuanced exploration of how art, lies, and community shape female identity is lived out by characters so real, I had to remind myself that they were fictional. This is a powerful, compulsively readable story that will stay with me for a very long time.”