Description

A MARCH 2026 INDIE NEXT PICK

★ “Powerfully poetic…a testament to American virtues–and flaws.”–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A deeply moving family story unfolding in richly evocative prose during the final decades of the American century, Ashland is a book of metamorphoses–of the dance between permanence and transformation.

The story takes place in Ashland, New Hampshire, a former mill town in the lakes region, and is told in six voices, among them Carolyn, a twenty year old writer at a turning point in her life; Gordon, who arrives in Ashland in the twilight of his years; Andy, a local boy; Geoff, Carolyn’s writing teacher at Plymouth State; and Edith, Gordon’s wife, who is inadvertently Carolyn’s spiritual guide and friend. Then there is Jennie, Carolyn’s aunt, who seems to offer her a model for how to live. But things aren’t always what they seem, and Carolyn must discover her own rules and make her own way.

Ashland is a debut novel of great intensity, beautifully told in the voices of many vivid characters and, through them, in the voice of Ashland itself.

Author: Dan Simon
Publisher: Europa Editions
Published: 2/17/2026
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65 lbs
Size: 8.3″ H x 5.2″ L x 0.9″ W
ISBN: 9798889661672