Heartbroke
Page turning
Original
Depressing

Heartbroke

From the acclaimed author of Godshot and “a pitch-perfect ventriloquist of extraordinary talent and ferocity” (T Kira Madden) comes a defining book of Californian stories where everyone is seeking or sabotaging love United by the stark and sprawling landscapes of California’s Central Valley, the characters of Heartbroke boil with reckless desire. A woman steals a baby from a shelter in an attempt to recoup her own lost motherhood. A phone-sex operator sees divine opportunity when a lavender-eyed cowboy walks into her life. A mother and a son selling dream catchers along a highway that leads to a toxic beach manifest two young documentary filmmakers into their realm. And two teenage girls play a dangerous online game with destiny. Heartbroke brims over with each character’s attempt to salvage grace where they can find it. Told in bright, snapping prose that reveals a world of loss and love underneath, Chelsea Bieker brilliantly illuminates a golden yet gothic world of longing and abandonment under an unrelenting California sun.
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Reviews

Photo of Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson@bookswithlaura
2.5 stars
Feb 24, 2023
Offbeat
Original
Depressing
Photo of Chloe Todd
Chloe Todd@chloesinclair
5 stars
Jun 28, 2022
Photo of Julia
Julia@juliawreads
5 stars
Apr 22, 2022
Magnetic
Powerful
Page turning
Photo of death nurse
death nurse@deathnurse
4 stars
May 28, 2023