The Girls from Corona del Mar: A novel

Mia and Lorrie Ann have been friends for pretty much their entire lives, despite being so different. Mia had a troubled family life as a kid, an unwanted pregnancy at fifteen, and a lot of responsibility heaped on her shoulders at an early age. Lorrie Ann, on the other hand, had the most loving of families, but faced tragedy at an early age, after which her life began to slowly unravel. As Mia works to build a life for herself through school and the study of ancient languages, Lorrie Ann falls apart. After losing contact for several years, Lorrie Ann shows up in Istanbul, where Mia is living while working on a major academic project, and as they talk about their lives, past and present, Mia realizes that she has no idea who her friend truly is.

The Girls from Corona del Mar is a fascinating story, one that readers will be hard-pressed to drag themselves away from for even a moment. Lorrie Ann is a trainwreck, and the astonishing twists and turns her life has taken are shocking and painful to read, and somehow entirely believable. Rufi Thorpe has written something compelling here, and you won’t want to miss it.