The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller Book Review
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: Book Review
The Paper Palace begins with Elle facing a decision that could change her marriage and the rest of her life.
The novel takes place across one day at the family’s summer place in Cape Cod, while moving backwards through decades of memories that explain how Elle arrived at that point.
A Story Told Through the Past and Present
Elle’s present-day dilemma is only one part of the book. Much of the story is concerned with childhood, family relationships and experiences she has carried with her for years.
The shifts in time are important because the reader gradually understands why certain people and places hold such power over her.
The Setting
The summer house and the surrounding lake are more than scenery. The place is tied to some of Elle’s happiest memories and some of her most difficult ones, which gives the setting an uneasy quality even during otherwise ordinary family scenes.
Heller writes the physical environment in a lot of detail. If you like books where the setting feels almost like another character, that is one of the strongest parts of The Paper Palace.
Relationships Without Easy Answers
This is not a straightforward love triangle. The novel is more interested in how history, loyalty, desire and trauma overlap.
For readers
Elle’s choices will frustrate some readers, and the book does not go out of its way to make everybody likeable. That made it a good book-club title because there is plenty to disagree about afterwards.
Our Verdict
We would recommend The Paper Palace to readers who like family drama, complicated relationships and novels that move between present-day decisions and the events that shaped them.
It is not a light read, particularly because of the subject matter, but it is atmospheric and very discussable.
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