Dan Simon with Ellen Elias-Bursać: Ashland

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A deeply moving family story unfolding in richly evocative prose and a poetic portrayal of a town in decline during the final decades of the American century, Ashland is a book of metamorphoses--of the dance between permanence and transformation.

In Ashland, New Hampshire, Carolyn, born of a teenage pregnancy, grows up alongside her mother Ellie, her aunt Jennie, and her cousins. Ashland is the type of place that most people plan to leave, but few do. Beauty can be found in small things--the trees in the wind, the sky's particular shade of blue, a swim in the river, love, and family. But life can often be unforgiving and solace hard to come by. Carolyn reconciles the losses in her own life with an education at Plymouth State, the local university, and then by capturing in words her world and the people who inhabit it.

Recalling the novels of Richard Russo, Paul Harding, Marilynne Robinson, and Elizabeth Strout, Ashland is a debut novel of great intensity and poetry told in the voices of many vivid characters and, through them, in the voice of Ashland itself.

Dan Simon is the founder and editor-in-chief of Seven Stories Press. Ashland is his debut novel. He lives in New York and New Hampshire.

Ellen Elias-Bursać translates fiction and non-fiction by Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian authors. Her translation of David Albahari's novel Götz and Meyer was given the 2006 ALTA National Translation Award. Her translation Sons, Daughters, by Ivana Bodrožić, was given the EBRD prize for literature in 2025. She is a past president of the American Literary Translators Association.

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!

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