By Feliks Garcia, Offsite Editor
Valley Fever, the second novel by author Katherine Taylor, is now available from Ferrar, Straus and Giroux. Recently excerpted in The Offing, Valley Fever tells the story of Ingrid Palamede who returns to her childhood home in Fresno, California, after a troubling breakup. Back to the grapevines of wine country, back to her family and all the troubles she left behind, Ingrid is forced to confront just why she left in the first place.
In an interview with Deborah Kalb, Taylor spoke to the setting and the universality of the themes:
I couldn’t — or wouldn’t — have written it in another setting, but I think the novel is larger than place. It’s a story of friendship and betrayal and forgiveness. It’s about the shifting narratives within families and the cross-generational whiplash that comes with a certain kind of success. In that way, the story could have happened anywhere, in any industry, in any family, and the setting isn’t crucial.
Praise for Valley Fever has certainly shown that Ingrid’s story will resonate with readers. “The lulls of domestic ennui and nostalgia are broken up by Ingrid’s sharp and humorous observations about life,” writes Publisher’s Weekly. “Rich with sensory details,” according to Library Journal, “[Valley Fever] is a novel to lose yourself in.” A true summer read, Valley Fever’s been included on must-read lists by Bustle, Los Angeles Magazine, BBC, and Kirkus.
Katherine Taylor will be in Los Angeles tonight, June 9, at Skylight Books in conversation with Matthew Specktor at 7:30 pm. She will be in New York City June 16, at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in conversation with Malcolm Gladwell at 7 pm. Visit her website for more events across the country.