Susan Meissner, a Christian who writes for the mainstream adult fiction market, adds another timely, compelling novel to her collection, which includes The Nature of Fragile Things, Only the Beautiful, and As Bright as Heaven.
In an author's note, Meissner shares the process by which she discovered her three fictional protagonists and the emotional dilemmas that all of them faced, though in differing ways due to varied circumstances. Meissner researched the 1950s and the historical events that shaped that decade, including the mass displacement of refugees in Europe after WWII, the Cold War, and the Red Scare, in which Hollywood actresses, screenwriters, and directors who were suspected communists and were blacklisted, losing their opportunity to advance their careers.
In the characters of Melanie, a blacklisted actress; Eva, a displaced person who immigrated to California from Europe; and June, a woman who takes care of her agoraphobic brother-in-law Elwood, Meissner masterfully explores questions of home and belonging: “I asked myself the questions a character would ask if they suddenly found themselves exiled from everything that gave them security. Like, what does someone do when they have no sense of home anymore? How do they live without it? What are they willing to do to get it back? And if the loss of home is imminent, what are they willing to risk to keep it from being taken from them?”
In 1956, the three women become acquainted on Paradise Circle, in Malibu, Calif., an idyllic setting in which paradise seems, to the unsuspecting eye, attainable. Melanie lives in a rented house, away from the accusing scrutiny of the public, and Eva serves as her housekeeper. June and Elwood live in the house across the fence. Lonely and rudderless, Melanie longs for a friend and discovers in Elwood a man with wise counsel. Elwood communicates with Melanie through his open window.
Early one morning, Melanie and Eva notice that June is digging up Elwood’s precious rosebushes. Perplexed, they wonder what June is up to. Soon, Melanie and Eva realize they haven’t seen or heard Elwood in days. Where is the man who hasn’t left his home in a decade?
As secrets are exposed and allegiances tested, the women form a unique friendship. And when a wild fire threatens their lives, they must decide what to reveal and what to keep locked away forever.
In A Map to Paradise, which includes profanity, Meissner deftly poses the question: Is there a map to paradise? And, if not, how can a person find home and belonging when obstacles abound and some secrets are too brutal to share?
(Berkley)