Debut Novelist Sarai Johnson on Being “Grown” and the Complex Wounds of Mother-Daughter Relationships

Cleyvis Natera Unpacks the True Cost of Paradise in The Grand Paloma Resort

What are you willing to sacrifice for security? Author Cleyvis Natera invites readers to explore this question and more on a breathless seven-day trip to The Grand Paloma Resort, a Dominican Republic luxury resort where White Lotus-esque thriller meets sharp social commentary. As two local girls go missing and a hurricane approaches, sisters Laura and Elena live and work amidst stark class distinctions. The resort siphons water for lush gardens while local communities face drought, tourists operate under systems of private justice, and staff navigate knotty power dynamics for survival. Join host Katie Fogarty and Natera as they wander The Grand Paloma and explore the complexities of midlife: are we obligated to take responsibility for others, what is the moral cost of compromises for security, and how to thread the delicate balance between protecting those we love and allowing them autonomy. Bonus! We also crack open Natera's critically acclaimed debut Neruda on the Park, uncover how aspiring authors can get the most out of writing workshops, and discover why Natera credits "getting lost" as essential to building a creative, values-driven midlife. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub [https://www.instagram.com/themidlifebookclub/] and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com [https://www.themidlifebookclub.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Lidija Hilje on the Hypnotic Pull of Love, Memory and Geography in “Slanting Towards the Sea”

What happens when unrealized potential sediments inside us "like tar or asbestos, slowly releasing its poison"? Croatian novelist Lidjia Hilje examines this haunting question in her hypnotic debut, Slanting Towards the Sea, a love story spanning twenty years along Croatia's stunning Dalmatian coast. Following university students Ivana and Vlaho through marriage, dissolution, and an unusual friendship triangle, the novel explores how family secrets and unspoken truths shape our most intimate relationships. Join host Katie Fogarty and Hilje as they survey the peaks and valleys of midlife reassessment, how geography shapes identity, and the poetry of place. Hilje also shares her remarkable reinvention story—transforming from practicing attorney to novelist and mastering the craft of writing in English as her second language. Perfect for lovers of atmospheric literary fiction that bridges love, loss, and second chances. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub [https://www.instagram.com/themidlifebookclub/] and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com [https://www.themidlifebookclub.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Debut Novelist Sarai Johnson on Being “Grown” and the Complex Wounds of Mother-Daughter Relationships

What does it mean to be truly "grown" when we're constantly evolving? Join host Katie Fogarty and novelist Sarai Johnson as they explore Grown Women, a gorgeous debut spanning four generations of complex Black women navigating motherhood, intergenerational trauma, and healing. From Charlotte's teenage flight from abuse to privileged Camille's awakening, Johnson’s characters grapple with forgiveness, the cost of emotional and physical scarcity, and how the ties that bind shape both our happiness, sorrow and sense of self. Sarai reveals how writing Grown Women transformed her own parenting and why moving forward—not moving on—allows us to progress and heal even when forgiveness feels out of reach. Perfect for anyone navigating mother-daughter relationships, seeking stories about growth at any age, and lovers of sprawling stories and luminous prose. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub [https://www.instagram.com/themidlifebookclub/] and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com [https://www.themidlifebookclub.com/] Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Kirsten Miller on “The Change”: Menopause, Magic Realism, and the Superpowers of Midlife

Can midlife be a portal to our most powerful selves? What if menopause came with superpowers? Join host Katie Fogarty and author Kirsten Miller as they explore "The Change," a razor-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women who navigate the thickets of menopause and small-town murder with superpowers unlocked by midlife. Miller crafts a tale that's equal parts thriller, feminist manifesto, and pacy, page-turning magical realism—a recipe that landed "The Change" as a GMA Book Club pick. We explore how righteous anger can be alchemized into creativity and action, why women in their forties and fifties represent "the most powerful generation of women in the history of the world," and how midlife gives us a clearer vision of our gifts. Forget invisible—in "The Change," the women are powerful and completely out of f*cks to give. That is to say, they are unstoppable. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub [https://www.instagram.com/themidlifebookclub/] and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com [https://www.themidlifebookclub.com/] Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Memoirist Carmen Rita Wong on Family Secrets, Identity and a Midlife Reckoning

Family secrets shape our lives before we even know they exist, as Carmen Rita Wong reveals in her memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" After learning at age 31 that her Chinese father wasn't her biological parent, Carmen set off on a quest to uncover both her true origins and her mother's motivations for concealing such a fundamental truth. Part detective story, part emotional excavation—host Katie Fogarty and Carmen explore the layers of a story built on secrets and now told with unflinching honesty. We dive into the intricate terrain of mother-daughter relationships, cultural identity across Dominican and Chinese heritage, the pressures of assimilation in 1980s America, and why, as Carmen puts it, "when you bury the truth, you bury it alive." A powerful exploration on finding peace without forgiveness, breaking generational patterns as a parent, and how memoir brings a wide-angle lens to universal themes of identity, the tangle of family relationships, and the search for belonging and clarity in midlife. Find our midlife book content 24/7 on social @themidlifebookclub [https://www.instagram.com/themidlifebookclub/] and on our website: www.themidlifebookclub.com [https://www.themidlifebookclub.com/] Shop all books: The Midlife Book Club Shop on indie bookseller Bookshop.org. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.