An engrossing mother-daughter novel about secrets, the search for truth, and what it takes to find your place in the world.
In 1993, 15-year-old Ellie Stein watches her unflappable mother lose her composure after hearing a news report about the death of a famous photographer. Jessamyn has never said much about her past life in New York, but her reaction prompts Ellie to embark on a quest to learn about the dead photographer, leading her to unearth a plot-twisting secret she never could’ve imagined. In 1973, 21-year-old Jessamyn Stein hitchhikes from Michigan to New York and finds herself working in the music clubs of lower Manhattan, then as an in-demand fashion model. But as Jessamyn tries to make her way in the city, violence marks her days. She finds unexpected reprieve in a charming man who rescues her from a mugging—but she soon realizes he comes with dangers of his own. Set between 1990s Ann Arbor, Michigan and 1970s New York—and culminating in the historic summer of 1977 NYC blackout—Small Kingdoms is an extraordinary dual coming-of-age novel for fans of Coco Mellors, Lily King, and Ann Packer.
“In incandescent prose, Rebecca Flint Marx has created an immersive coming-of-age story of two young women discovering their independence and their desires—and what they must sacrifice to connect with one another. SMALL KINGDOMS combines a mesmerizing portrait of a mother’s fierce love with the addictive suspense of a daughter’s search for the truth about the father she’s never known. A gorgeous, dazzling treat of a book.”--Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls and Miracle Creek
"An immersive, electric, and evocative novel, Small Kingdoms spans decades, cities, blackouts, records, violence, sex, and unexpected motherhood, as two women try to find themselves and one another amidst the pressures and expectations of the world outside. Gorgeously written and immaculately paced, I loved every second that I spent inside this book." —Lynn Steger Strong, author of The Float Test and Flight
“Small Kingdoms, Rebecca Flint Marx’s stunning debut novel, is a welcome return to the 1970’s and the 1990’s, a book that explores a complex mother and daughter relationship with evocative prose. I loved following Jessamyn and Ellie, from Michigan to New York City, as they uncover the secrets and stories of the past, as they learn about the bonds that connect them. A story about friendship and love and home. A novel that you won’t want to put down and one that you’ll be so happy to have read.” —Laura Spence-Ash, author of Beyond That, The Sea and The Thing You Most Wanted
“You don't need to love Jessamyn Stein and her teenage daughter Ellie to want to be in their world, but how could you not? In Small Kingdoms, Rebecca Flint Marx expertly and effortlessly delves into mythologies, the personal ones we shape for our lives and those of a grander scale – the glamour and grit of downtown Manhattan in 1970s, one of the most fabled times in New York City. (Though the '90s come close, too). The kind of characters here are as rare as they are perceptively drawn. As Marx unravels the mystery at the heart of this novel, she reveals the way we are mysteries to each other and even to ourselves.” —Deborah Shapiro, author of Consolation and The Sun in Your Eyes
“Small Kingdoms is the moving story of a young woman looking for meaning in 1970s New York City, and a daughter searching for answers twenty years later. A page-turning mystery wrapped in an intimate family saga, Marx's debut is both sharp and sweet.”--Anna North, New York Times bestselling author of OUTLAWED and BOG QUEEN
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