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Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Ms Magazine The Root Popsugar Bustle and many more

An utterly absorbing and dazzling novel aboutthe stories we tell to stay alive and the secrets we keep to protect ourselves Nancy Jooyoun KimNew York TimesBestselling author ofThe Last Story of Mina Lee

In 1960sMemphis ayoung mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse where family encompasses more than just blood and hidden truths can bury you or set you free

Sara King has nothing save for her secrets and the baby in her belly as she boards the bus to Memphis hoping to outrun her past in Chicago She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar

Like many cities in early 1960s America Memphis is still segregated but change is in the air News spreads of the Freedom Riders Across the country people like Martin Luther King Jr are leading the fight for equal rights Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas a local schoolteacher Romance bloomsbetween them but secrets from Mama Sugars past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives

With a charismatic cast of charactersThe Two Lives of Sarais an emotional and unforgettable story of hope the limitations of resilience and unexpected love