What We Leave Behind A Novel
What We Leave Behind A Novel by Sue Halpern is a tenderhearted exploration of identity and family dynamics, published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2025. This 352-page novel delves into the emotional legacies inherited from parents, focusing on two distinct women navigating their complex relationships with their pasts. The story centers on high school senior Melody Marcus, who grapples with the aftermath of her adoptive mother’s sudden death and her refusal to uncover the truth about her birth parents, while also addressing the implications of modern genetic testing.
Readers will find a rich narrative that examines themes of belonging and love, as both Melody and Candace Milton, a woman in her forties, confront their familial histories and the impact of their upbringing on their current lives. The novel invites contemplation on the nature of family—both biological and chosen—while presenting a poignant look at the struggles of coming of age and the quest for self-discovery. What We Leave Behind offers an evocative portrayal of the ties that bind us and the secrets that can shape our identities.
Official synopsis Publisher
From the author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, a tenderhearted story of two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies passed down by their parents–for fans of Dani Shapiro, Ann Napolitano, and Jody Picoult.
It’s the perennial question: are we a product of how we were raised, or is our identity hardwired by our genetic inheritance When her adoptive mother dies in a freak accident, high school senior Melody Marcus doubles down on her refusal to learn anything about her birth parents. In this age of 23&me, though, that may not be possible, and the secrets hidden in her DNA threaten to upend everything she knows about herself and her family.
For Candace Milton, a successful woman in her forties, the collateral damage from her parents’ tortured marriage has led to a life of intentional unattachment. She is happy–enough. But a chance encounter with a friend of Melody’s father will challenge this assumption and force her to reimagine who she is and who she might become.
Big-hearted evocative, and achingly relatable, What We Leave Behind grapples with destiny, belonging, and love, and makes us question our own idea of family: the kind we’re born into and the kind we create.
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