Boston Book Festival

Multi-generational family stories set against the backdrop of pivotal moments in history are told in these three narratives, exploring themes of memory, reconciling the present and past, and the far reaching after-effects of our ancestors’ choices. In Wendy Chen’s debut, Their Divine Fires, the consequences from an act of violence on a bride’s wedding night reverberates for generations amidst China’s revolution through present day. Haunting and intimate, Their Divine Fires has been praised as “deeply moving…poignant” by the Toronto Star. Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound spans three centuries, examining how love and loss are entwined and transformed over generations. Described as “masterful” (Chicago Tribune) and “deeply resonant” (Boston Globe), Shattuck’s linked story collection is set in New England, from the woods of New Hampshire to 1700 Nantucket; each story with a companion story, resurfacing truth, artifact, and feelings that linger. In Jessica Shattuck’s Last House, an idealistic family man of the Greatest Generation rises from humble means to providing every comfort for his family, though history has other plans, sweeping them up in the counterculture and civil rights movement where new ideals will be formed. Spanning 80 years, the novel is “a richly detailed, slow-burning family saga distinguished by incisive psychological insight and masterful research” (NY Times). This session will be moderated by Stephen Kiernan, acclaimed author of seven books, most recently The Glass Chateau. Sponsored by Emerson College Graduate Programs.