"A wise and clever novel, The Tell is a kind of anagramatic homage to The Great Gatsby , updated for our own American time. The competing forces of true love and false idols are played out beautifully in the course of a roiling relationship with a larger-than-life neighbor. Kaplan is a sentence-maker of the highest order, and this is a wonderful book." - Antonya Nelson, author of Bound " The Tell is an homage to The Great Gatsby : The competing forces of true love and false idols are played out beautifully in the course of a roiling relationship with a larger-than-life neighbor. This is a wonderful book." - Antonya Nelson, author of Bound "Gorgeous and haunting, Kaplan's riveting new novel about what we fight to hide, or ache to reveal about ourselves, grabs you by the throat and builds to a crescendo that's pure Greek tragedy. It's hard not to use the word genius." - Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You " The Tell is an engrossing novel, at once richly observed and tautly plotted.
Wilton Deere is one of the most riveting and unsettling characters I've encountered in a long time. I read this hungrily, and with great pleasure." - Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of Ms. Hempel Chronicles "Hester Kaplan is a master of her craft, and in The Tell she uses her prodigious talent to put a marriage under her microscope. Every sentence of this book is breathtaking." - Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle "Hester Kaplan brings such fresh language and uncanny insight to whatever her keen eye lands upon -- from pond water to slot machines, from a middle school classroom to a marriage -- it's as if she creates it anew. Everything, everyone, every inflection in The Tell is charged with precision, feeling, and consequence." - Leah Hager Cohen, author of The Grief of Others "Kaplan's characters are impeccably crafted.
" - The Minneapolis Star Tribune "Hester Kaplan brings such fresh language and uncanny insight to whatever her keen eye lands upon, it's as if she creates it anew. Everything, everyone, every inflection in The Tell is charged with precision, feeling, and consequence." - Leah Hager Cohen, author of The Grief of Others " The Tell is filled with fascinating subplots and well-drawn supporting roles. An exceptionally good read for. Kaplan's skill at creating suspense for each of her main characters; her insightful look at the subtle balance between privacy and sharing in marriage; and her thoughtful examination of unresolved emotions around past tragedies. That she provokes us to ponder the latter two in our own lives is a true mark of the author's success." - The Providence Phoenix " The Tell is filled with fascinating subplots and well-drawn supporting roles. An exceptionally good read.
" - The Providence Phoenix "Kaplan writes with remarkable acuity about the psychological challenges faced by each of her vulnerable characters, drawing the reader into their struggles to deal with their past mistakes and their attempts to forge a more stable future. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy the psychologically complex work of Annie Proulx, or Stewart O'Nan." - Booklist "Kaplan writes with remarkable acuity about the psychological challenges faced by each of her vulnerable characters. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy the psychologically complex work of Annie Proulx, or Stewart O'Nan." - Booklist "A wonderfully written, perceptive, and engaging novel. Kaplan has created a story inhabited with impeccable and image-sharpened tremors, so acutely attuned to insights, epiphanies, betrayals and threats that I couldn't put it down." - The Providence Journal.