Description
COMING 3/3/26
Set in an art gallery in the Washington, DC area, and structured as a journey through the gallery’s rooms, BACKSTITCH is the story of two sisters who reunite at a retrospective of their troubled mother’s art and must confront the consequences of her ambition and the difficult, private truths behind the family’s public narrative. The novel is an exploration of family ties, the gift and cost of artistic talent, and the legacy that the artist’s daughters must carry.
Advance praise:
“Grounded in the slippery pursuit of truth, Marian Mitchell Donahue’s Backstitch wrestles with the very idea of making and memory, examining both the price of art and all its riches.” – Christine Coulson, bestselling author of ONE WOMAN SHOW
“In Backstitch, Marian Mitchell Donahue unspools the haunting story of a visionary artist whose brilliance is matched only by her volatility—and the two daughters caught in her gravitational pull. Moving fluidly through time, the novel exposes the blurred lines between creation and destruction, love and madness. A gripping, compulsive read.” – B.A. Shapiro, NYT best selling author of THE LOST MASTERPIECE and THE ART FORGER
“Backstitch is a wonderfully intelligent and enthralling novel about the costs of making art, both for the artist, and for her daughters. Donahue has a remarkable gift for describing art and it is as if we too are walking through the exhibition, appreciating each of Alice’s vivid fibre art pieces, even as we learn about the tangled history and emotions that led to this triumphant moment. I reached the last page with profound pleasure and deep admiration.” – Margot Livesey, author of THE ROAD FROM BELHAVEN
“Marian Donahue’s Backstitch is more than a remarkable or noteworthy debut novel. It is a feast of exquisite language that brilliantly depicts the complicated mess common to all families and all artists. This epic tale of the Snyders is the perfect marriage of form and masterful storytelling and it will stay with you long after you finish the last page.” – Robert Lopez, author of THE BEST PEOPLE
