10/14/2024
In a nod to the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, Probst (author of The Color of Ice) explores the nature of guilt and grief, played out through the story of Arden Rice and her daughter, Leigh. In 1977, Arden, on holiday in Europe with her not-really-boyfriend Robert, reflects that nothing is as she expected: “I wanted to go to Europe with a boyfriend, but Robert is the wrong person… I realize I’ve made each thing into what I wanted it to be.” That disappointment carries into their return home, when Arden quickly moves on from Robert but later discovers she’s pregnant—and pretends the child’s father is her current boyfriend, musician Jonah Orenstein.
And so enters Leigh onto the stage, taking shape through Arden’s complex inner world that Probst reveals through parallel timelines of the past and present. Arden’s entire focus is Leigh—to secure her comfort, her security, her future—even as she feels every stroke of good fortune is undeserved when weighed against her past lies. Probst masterfully casts Arden’s desperate attempts to make up for a past Leigh knows nothing about against Leigh’s own fiery personality, a “moxie of a daughter” in her mother’s words. Those two worlds violently collide when Connor and Leigh are killed in a shocking train accident, just as Arden is turning 60, prompting her to muse it’s “the price for all the acts she’d never had to pay for.”
Probst succeeds in bringing out the nuances of mother-daughter relations as well as the complicated nature of grief, as Arden, now in charge of her granddaughter Danielle, discovers certain unpalatable secrets about Leigh. Her loss is somehow the loss of two children, the daughter she knew and loved and the one hidden from her, a poignant reflection on the need to accept loved ones unconditionally, “flawed, and yet, maybe, stumbling through the dirt toward grace.”
Takeaway: Reflection on mother-daughter dynamics, through a lens of guilt over past sins.
Comparable Titles: Zinzi Clemmons’s What We Lose, Avni Doshi’s Burnt Sugar.
Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A
A spellbinding story of a complex woman and her imperfect choices, and how those choices resonate from mother to child and beyond. Probst’s latest is a treasure—her nuanced portrait of tragedy and renewal is profound and moving, and impossible to put down.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times best-selling author of The Stolen Queen
“Probst has created an unflinchingly gritty, sexy anti-heroine you can’t look away from. I gritted my teeth and hoped for the best as I raced toward the conclusion.”—Alka Joshi, New York Times best-selling author of The Henna Artist and the Jaipur Trilogy
“Roll the Sun Across the Sky mesmerizes from the first pages. How can one be good and still exist in a complicated world? Barbara Linn Probst deftly handles this question via her complex characters in this multi-generational novel. Stunningly written, compelling, and suspenseful, this is an unforgettable read.” —Julie Maloney, author of A Matter of Chance and director of Women Reading Aloud
“With vivid intensity, Probst delves into a woman's decades-long journey through love, loss, and wisdom—an exploration of growth and self-discovery that is raw and profound.”—Randy Susan Meyers, international best-selling author of The Many Lives of Ivy Puddingstone
“If the devil is in the details, Probst is diabolically good . . . Characters are richly drawn, exotic locations are artfully described, and the language is fresh and sometimes poetic. . . Much to chew over, including explorations of the role of motherhood, the need for forgiveness, and the power of memory. Thought-provoking, textured, and touching.”—Kirkus Reviews
“I was immersed in Roll the Sun Across the Sky from the very first line … Probst does a marvelous job of making an unsympathetic character intriguing and showing her character arc. I literally could not put the book down!”—Midwest Book Review
“Probst masterfully succeeds in bringing out the nuances of mother-daughter relations, as well as the complicated nature of grief.”—BookLife Reviews
For The Color of Ice:
“Exquisite … a passionate tale of love, loss, redemption, and healing as seen through the power of glass and ice.”—Lisa Barr, New York Times best-selling author of The Goddess of Warsaw
“Seamlessly portrayed, tenderly sculpted, The Color of Ice is an alluring, stunning literary vision that will stay in your mind long after you finish it.”—Weina Dai Randel, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Last Rose of Shanghai
For The Sound Between the Notes:
“A tour de force steeped in suspense ... a sensitive, astute exploration of artistic passion, family, and perseverance.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Barbara Linn Probst delivers yet another powerful story, balancing lyrical language with a skillfully paced plot, and offering a deep exploration of the search for identity and connection.”—Julie Cantrell, New York Times best-selling author of Perennials
For Queen of the Owls:
“A nuanced, insightful, culturally relevant investigation of one woman’s personal and artistic awakening.”—Christina Baker Kline, New York Times #1 best-selling author of Orphan Train
