The Only True Genius in the Family

Jennie Nash's first novel, The Last Beach Bungalow, was praised as "a wonder." Now, in lyrical and moving prose, she gives us a story about three generations of artists who are grappling with the burden of talent and the limits of love.

Claire's father always said that in their family, genius skipped a generation. Maybe he was right. The daughter of a legendary landscape photographer and the mother of a painter whose career is about to take off, Claire has carved out a practical living as a commercial photographer. It may not earn her glory, but it's paid for a good life in a beautiful house on the beach.

When her father suddenly dies, Claire loses faith in the work she has devoted her life to—and worse, begins to feel jealous of her daughter's success. But as she helps prepare a retrospective of her famous father's photographs, Claire uncovers revelations about him that change everything she believes about herself as a mother, a daughter, and an artist....