Coming of age in the 1970s, Phoebe O'Connor becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the suicide of her sister Faith, an idealistic flower child, and begins a search that takes her from San Francisco throughout Europe. Reprint. In Jennifer Egan&;s highly acclaimed first novel, set in 1978, the political drama and familial tensions of the 1960s form a backdrop for the world of Phoebe O&;Connor, age eighteen. Phoebe is obsessed with the memory and death of her sister Faith, a beautiful idealistic hippie who died in Italy in 1970. In order to find out the truth about Faith&;s life and death, Phoebe retraces her steps from San Francisco across Europe, a quest which yields both complex and disturbing revelations about family, love, and Faith&;s lost generation. This spellbinding novel introduced Egan&;s remarkable ability to tie suspense with deeply insightful characters and the nuances of emotion.
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