Erica’s Pick of the Week: A Fortune of Sand

Sometimes, you can’t help but judge a book by its cover – and that’s okay. Done right, a great cover makes a promise, and the book inside fulfills it. Case in point: A Fortune of Sand, the adult debut by acclaimed young adult author Ruta Sepetys. With its intricately gilded Art Deco cover, the novel promises a sleek and atmospheric story of the Roaring Twenties with secrets to spare – and the book delivers. 

Marjorie Lennox is the artistic, free spirited youngest daughter of an automotive manufacturing dynasty. After her latest prank incites her father’s wrath, Marjorie flees the family home in Grosse Pointe to Nightingale House, an artist’s retreat in Detroit. She’s hoping the creative community will help her launch a career in fashion design. Meanwhile, all three generations of the Lennox family fight for control of the company – by any means necessary.

At first, all is well: Marjorie focuses on her work, befriends the other artists, and begins a flirtation with the mysterious, Gatsby-esque benefactor of Nightingale House. But soon, she senses something’s amiss: she hears odd noises in the night. The rules are strict and oppressive. Residents vanish without warning. Even as her talents flourish, Marjorie can’t help but investigate, and she realizes that both Nightingale House and her family are hiding secrets that could cost her everything.

Ruta Sepetys is known for creating meticulously researched worlds, and her take of Prohibition-era Detroit is no different. From Marjorie’s sumptuous gowns to the gleaming roadsters and spot-on slang, Sepetys laces her gritty, glamorous setting with real-life references: Henry and Edsel Ford, Charlie Chaplin, and more. But this is definitely an adult story, with plenty of sly innuendo and dark – sometimes tragic – themes, wrapped up in a fast-paced and suspenseful narrative. 

Impulsive and generous, Marjorie is a bright spot in the story. She has an eye for beauty, an irrepressible sense of humor, and a stubborn streak that serves her well. Over the course of the novel, however, her recklessness transforms to determination and her childish crush turns into something more powerful and life-altering. In the end, Marjorie discovers the truth about both her family and Nightingale House, leaving her with a choice: power or freedom? Her decision will, no doubt, spark discussion. 

Readers make pick up A Fortune of Sand for the cover alone, but its fast-paced, multilayered plot, feisty heroine and portrait of abygone Detroit will have them speeding through the pages. It’s a great fit for fans of Fiona Davis and Beatriz Williams, or anyone looking for historical fiction set in a fresh location.