The School of Beauty and Charm: A Novel

Winner of a Whiting Award, author Melanie Sumner captivates listeners with her darkly humorous tale about the Peppers family. After the accidental death of her older brother, teenager Louise can't get her life back on track. When she runs away to seek comfort from circus performers, and in alcohol and sex, her parents fight to bring her home. Will their love, however suffocating and complicated, be enough to bring Louise to her senses? 'Sumner brings a twist to this noteworthy fiction debut that is both disturbing and comic.'-Library Journal