A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson

 

Leigh McMullan Abramson, the daughter of a children's author and an illustrator, published her debut novel A Likely Story on March 14 about a young woman who is the daughter of a well-known novelist who lives in New York City. Isabelle Manning grew up feeling that to be successful in her father’s eyes that she must become a fruitful author herself.

Isabelle is talented but she struggles getting her book published although The New Yorker published a piece of her work. Her agent cannot get her novel placed with publishers, and he encourages her to try again. Her mother Olivia understands her daughter’s disappointment as Olivia knows the great effort to get published because she reworked some of her husband’s novels before he submitted them to the publisher, although Ward never gave her any credit for her help.

When Olivia dies, Isabelle is directed to a place in her Sag Harbor vacation home where Olivia saved certain items for Isabelle, including most of Olivia’s own book that only her best friend knows about.  The manuscript reveals family secrets that cause Isabelle to rethink everything she thought she knew about her parents and her upbringing.

She is devastated to find out the real reason her first book could not find a publisher. Without her mother’s support, she struggles to deal with a closed-off father who believes Isabelle needs to make it on her own without any financial support from him.

Isabelle’s account provides the frame story for excerpts from Olivia’s book that unravels so much about Isabelle’s family as Olivia’s  writing is about a demanding artist husband who relies on his wife to help with his paintings. This alter-ego Livia is soon “finding” lost art when her husband dies as she is soon secretly creating more of “his” art to sell so she can stay solvent. Isabelle realizes her only chance to find success is to continue this twisty tale where her mother left off.

Leigh McMullan Abramson had a prior career of practicing law before pursuing her interest in writing. She has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Tablet Magazine and more.  Leigh lives in New York City and Vermont with her husband and two young children.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting March 15, 2023.

I would like to thank Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, Inc., and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.