From National Book Awardnominated writer Andrea Lee comes a gorgeously evocative epic about love, clashing cultures, and identity, set in the tropical African island nation of Madagascar.

People do mysterious things when they think theyve found paradise, reflects Shay, the heroine ofRed Island House.When Shay, a Black American professor whos always had an adventurous streak, marries Senna, an Italian businessman, she doesnt imagine that her lifes greatest adventure will carry her far beyond their home in Milan to an idyllic stretch of beach in Madagascar, where Senna builds a flamboyant vacation villa. Before she knows it, Shay has become the somewhat reluctant mistress of a sprawling household, caught between her privileged American upbringing and her connection to the continent of her ancestors.

At first, shes content to be an observer of the passionate affairs and fierce rivalries around her, but over twenty tumultuous years of marriage, as she and Senna raise children and establish their own rituals at the house, Shay finds herself drawn ever deeper into a place where a blend of magic, sexual intrigue, and transgression forms a modern-day parable of colonial conquest. Soon the collision of cultures comes right to Shays door, forcing her to make a life-altering decision that will change her and Sennas lives forever.

A captivating, powerful, and profoundly moving novel about marriage and loyalty, identity and freedom,Red Island Houseshowcases an extraordinary literary voice and an extravagantly lush, enchanted world.

• Publisher:Scribner (March 23, 2021)
• Language:English
• Hardcover:288 pages
• ISBN-10:1982137800
• ISBN-13:9781982137809
• Item Weight:1.15 pounds
• Dimensions:6 x 1 x 9 inches