“Part American Graffiti , part early Updike, Seventh Heaven simultaneously chronicles the coming of age of a group of teenagers in a Long Island town, and the gradual dissolution of their parents’ repressed, middle-class world...A parable about changing times and changing values”( The New York Times ) from the bestselling author of The Rules of Magic . Nora Silk doesn’t really fit in on Hemlock Street, where every house looks the same. She's divorced. She wears a charm bracelet and high heels and red toreador pants. And the way she raises her kids is a scandal. But as time passes, the neighbors start having second thoughts about Nora. The women’s apprehension evolves into admiration. The men’s lust evolves into awe. The children are drawn to her in ways they can't explain. And everyone on this little street in 1959 Long Island seems to sense the possibilities and perils of a different kind of future when they look at Nora Silk. An extraordinary novel, Seventh Heaven takes us back to a time when the exotic both terrified and intrigued us, and despite our most desperate attempts, our passions and secrets remained as stubbornly alive as the weeds in our well-trimmed lawns.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic comes a “memorable...striking”( Village Voice ) novel that vividly portrays an American family shattered by tragedy. Ivan and Polly Farrell have two bright and talented children. Eight-year-old Charlie has his father's scientific mind. Amanda, eleven, possesses the unusual strength and determination that has made her a promising gymnast. But her strength runs out as she becomes ill—and when she is diagnosed with AIDS, her family must draw on their own strengths as they come face-to-face with their deepest fears. “Brilliant...explosive...heart-rending.”— Chicago Tribune “Compelling power...tenderness and perceptiveness.”— The New York Times