Michigan Notable Books Author Jennifer Murphy will present her new novel Scarlet in Blue at Northville Township Hall on June 13 from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. After the presentation there will be a Q&A followed by a book signing. Copies of the book will be made available by Book Beat. This program is made possible by The Library of Michigan, The Library of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Center for the Book, and Michigan Humanities, which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is also sponsored by the Friends of the Northville District Library. Registration is required.
Scarlet in Blue is a thrilling psychological novel about a mother and daughter duo who settle in a small Michigan town in hopes of leaving their dark and mysterious past behind. For Blue Lake’s entire life, she and her mother, Scarlet, have been on the run from HIM, someone who Scarlet insists is chasing them. Running from HIM, Scarlet has relocated and uprooted herself and her teenage daughter many times. Each time they move, they draw a crayon from the box for their new names. When she spots HIM again, Scarlet rushes them to a new town, South Haven, MI. Blue does not know it, but Scarlet has a plan to rid herself of HIM and the plan includes help from local psychoanalyst Henry Williams. In South Haven, Blue, a talented pianist, takes lessons, makes friends, and lives the life of a normal teenager. Soon she realizes that Scarlet is struggling with mental health issues and begins to wonder if HIM is a real person or a delusion on her mother’s part. Rotating points of views from Blue, Scarlet, and Henry in 1968 to Blue in 2014, Murphy slowly unveils the tangled threads among them.
Murphy dazzles…. This novel will leave readers questioning what is real and how mental health can affect generations in kaleidoscopic ways…. Luminous writing… while those who enjoy a plot-driven mystery will also find what they are looking for. – Booklist
[Scarlet in Blue] is ultimately a love story between a mother and a daughter as well as an examination of how trauma shapes our lives and choices. – Library Journal
Just like a beautiful and complex painting, Scarlet in Blue pulls readers in—and then captivates them with a story that is part mystery, part thriller, and wholly gripping and fascinating. The perfect dark escape. – Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost
The author’s lovely prose flows effortlessly, flavored by her wide knowledge of art and her ability to engage the reader in the techniques of the artist. This is a psychological drama that is unique and captivating, making it both an impressive and engrossing novel. – Mystery & Suspense Magazine
Jennifer Murphy holds an MFA in painting from the University of Denver and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. She is the recipient of the 2013 Loren D. Milliman Scholarship for creative writing and was a contributor at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference from 2008 through 2012. In 2015, her acclaimed debut novel, I Love You More (Doubleday, 2014), won the prestigious Nancy Pearl Fiction Award. Her love of art led her to start Citi Arts, a public art and urban planning company that has created public art master plans for airports, transit facilities, streetscapes, and cities nationwide. She hails from a small beachfront town in Michigan and has lived in Denver, Charlotte, Seattle, and Charleston. She currently lives in Houston, Texas.