For years I wanted to tour the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. Most people, like me, I think, are fascinated with the lives of the extremely wealthy. When I finally got there, I was stunned by both the beauty and the opulence - oh to have a library with a ladder! But I think I was also a bit overwhelmed. Rachel Hawkins digs deep into the overwhelming lives of the extremely wealthy in her upcoming work The Heiress: A Novel. Like the Biltmore housed the Vanderbilts, Ashby House (located just outside Asheville) houses most of the wealthy McTavishes and to a large extent the house controls them.

We meet Camden and his wife Jules as he is being called back to his family home in North Carolina. He hasn’t been back in 12 years since the death of his adoptive mother (the heiress) Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore - 5 names, 4 husbands- all who died under very mysterious circumstances. He very clearly dreads the return. The story further develops through flashbacks, letters presumably written by the deceased Ruby, news clips and stories, and chapters from the points of view of both Camden and Jules. All these elements are combined masterfully to create a fascinating and suspenseful look at the extended McTavish family. Secrets abound - The McTavish’s,the furthest thing from a warm and fuzzy family, are clearly driven by the house and their inheritances. When is enough enough?

As well as giving us a remarkable setting - the house felt like a character to me because of its influence, Hawkins does a remarkable job of creating human characters who are multilayered. In spite of being somewhat unlikeable, I was kind of rooting for Camden and Jules. I should clarify that they became more difficult to like for me as the novel developed - which was part of the beauty of this work. The twists and turns subtly added in with the variety of narrators and methods created a lovely suspense and levels of mystery that were unexpected. I loved the tricky uncomfortable ending the most. Avoiding spoilers, but I was questioning my own judgment because of the complexity of these characters. The last page rendered me speechless for a moment.

I have been trying to reflect on the impact of a novel on my own life as part of my blog posts. Part of me wants to say I am not wealthy; I am not evil; treat this book as a wonderful suspenseful escape. While that is true, I can’t help but reflect on the complexity of Hawkins’ characters. The older I get, the more I can appreciate that people are seldom as simple as I’d like them to be. When I was younger, my tendency toward black and white likely cheated me out of some friendships and experiences from people that I didn’t necessarily try to understand at the time. As I age, I can perhaps also be more aware of my own complexity and try to offer the grace that others offer me. Does that mean I’d be besties with all of the characters in this book. Ummm…no, but I do appreciate very much the care that Hawkins put into their development. The Heiress: A Novel is definitely a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy to review.