A Fortune of Sand
One expects some level of eccentricity from the ultra-wealthy, yet Marjorie Lennox’s family sits in a class by itself. In 1927, at their mansion in the Detroit suburbs, they rest secure in their fortune made from automotive windshields, but their luxurious life doesn’t bring contentment. Charlotte (Chet), preoccupied by death, secretly pens newspaper obituaries under their brother Graham’s name, while sister Cecile, a bitter woman with potential gangster ties, remains their father’s favorite. At twenty, their half-sister, Marjorie, a whimsical dreamer and aspiring designer, is the recipient of Chet and Graham’s caring protection and her stern father’s everlasting shame. To escape his ire, Marjorie jumps at the chance to covertly enroll in an artist’s residency in Detroit, especially since the debonair, elusive Charles Bonafante is the sponsor. She craves the structure and space to pursue her craft. These she gets, and she befriends two other women (both as charmingly peculiar as Marjorie). However, the residency has strict rules about self-isolation and locked doors. Marjorie also glimpses a disturbing message scratched into her bathroom mirror.
The storyline of this original mystery, bestselling YA novelist Sepetys’ adult debut, is utterly wild in the best way. With its outsize personalities, heaps of arch dialogue, and Gatsbyesque atmosphere oozing out its pores, it could easily lead to sensory overload, but the overall effect dazzles rather than overwhelms. Marjorie makes a vivid first impression: brought to the police station for indecent exposure (she draped herself in leaves to amuse a tree-loving friend), she also can’t cook for herself; someone fun to observe, though perhaps not relatable. That proves incorrect as she works within and without her residency’s confines to discover what’s going on. A hugely entertaining novel about the glamour and darkness of Prohibition-era Detroit, led by a heroine who comes into her own with impressive style.
