Tara Conklin was born on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Yale University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and New York University School of Law. A joint US-UK citizen, Tara now lives with her family in Seattle. The House Girl is her first novel.
Pangea (2012) An Anthology of Stories from Around the Globe edited by Indira Chandrasekhar and Rebecca Lloyd
Tara Conklin recommends
Jane and Dan at the End of the World (2025) Colleen Oakley "Jane and Dan at the End of the World is a hilarious, deftly plotted novel that delves into deeper truths about marriage, parenting and personal fulfillment with grace and wisdom. I loved every second I spent with Jane and Dan and the rollicking cast of characters conjured up by the wonderful Colleen Oakley."
They Dream in Gold (2024) Mai Sennaar "Wow. What a book! They Dream in Gold is a gorgeous symphony of voices and cities and art, tied together by a stunning love story and a mysterious disappearance. In luminous language, with characters who sweat, bleed and sing, Mai Sennaar has written a debut that soars and kept me turning pages long after my bedtime. What a thrill to read a new writer with this much heart and vision."
All We Were Promised (2024) Ashton Lattimore "I highly recommend this important, beautiful book. It has everything I value most in historical fiction: compelling characters, a suspenseful plot, and vivid details, which here bring to life a part of America's past that continues to resonate painfully today."
Evil Eye (2023) Etaf Rum "A moving meditation on motherhood, inter-generational trauma and how surface appearances often obscure a deeper truth. . . . A stunning second novel from a writer who set the bar very high with her first!"
The Mythmakers (2023) Keziah Weir "Keziah Weir's THE MYTHMAKERS is a wildly inventive, thought-provoking page-turner filled with luminous language and resonant characters. It tackles the weightiest of subjects--love, art, inspiration, death--with grace and wit. This is the rare novel that will stay with me for a very, very long time."
Life and Other Love Songs (2023) Anissa Gray "Cleverly structured and emotionally precise, Love and Other Love Songs is a powerhouse ballad about a family whose histories - shared and individual - will pierce straight to the heart. With empathy and insight, Anissa Gray writes an expertly crafted family drama perfect for fans of Celeste Ng."
Women Are the Fiercest Creatures (2023) Andrea Dunlop "Women Are the Fiercest Creatures is a stylish, timely, buzz-worthy literary thriller that I tore through with glee. Dunlop brings to life a trio of strong, achingly real female protagonists whose search for truth and meaning in their romantic and professional lives held me spellbound. I loved this book!"
Yerba Buena (2022) Nina LaCour "Nina LaCour's Yerba Buena is a love story for our time. I so admired its truth and candor, the lilting prose and the two compelling protagonists, Sara and Emilie, whose lives weave, break and bend towards each other until the novel's moving and deeply satisfying conclusion. Yerba Buena is an absolute joy to read."
Walk the Vanished Earth (2022) Erin Swan "Walk the Vanished Earth is a beautiful achievement. A story of mothers and daughters, climate collapse, improbable love, space travel, disaster and redemption, destiny and choice - it's nearly impossible to describe all the notes Erin Swan hits in this astonishing debut. Swan writes in spare, elegant prose that conjures an 1880s Kansas prairie just as vividly as a futuristic colony on Mars. Both timely and timeless, this novel will stay with me for a long time to come."
How to Order the Universe (2021) María José Ferrada "How to Order the Universe is a dreamscape of a book. In an assured and striking voice, María José Ferrada tells the story of M, a girl who skips school to join her traveling salesman father on the road. Along the way, M witnesses tragedy, desire, secrecy and grief as she finds her own truths and learns to separate her father’s disappointments from her own. I adored this compelling, wise and utterly unique coming-of-age tale."
Girls with Bright Futures (2021) Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman "Suspenseful and oh-so-timely, GIRLS WITH BRIGHT FUTURES is a cautionary tale of parental anxiety run amok in the high-stakes world of elite college admissions. I loved this wild ride of a novel, brimming with truth, mischief and consequences. It's a smart, provocative debut that will keep you turning pages until the riveting end."
Millicent Glenn's Last Wish (2020) Tori Whitaker "Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish is a delight of a book that explores how one long-held secret can shape a family. Tori Whitaker’s characters sparkle with warmth and humanity, especially ninety-year-old Mil, whose voice rings clear and true throughout these charming pages."
Fast Girls (2020) Elise Hooper "Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America. Rich with historical detail and brilliant story-telling, the book follows three athletes on their path to compete – and win – in a man’s world. Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve."
Tiny Imperfections (2020) Alli Frank and Asha Youmans "Offers a delightful view inside the cutthroat world of private school admissions that is hilarious, cringe-worthy and all too relevant in today's ultra-competitive educational landscape. I ate this book up like a box of candy; you will too."
A Good Neighbourhood (2020) Therese Anne Fowler "A gripping modern morality tale...Familiar elements - two families, two young lovers, a legal dispute - frame a story that feels both classic and inevitable. But Fowler makes the book her own with smart dialogue, compelling characters and a communal 'we' narrator that implicates us all in the wrenching conclusion."
The Weight of an Infinite Sky (2018) Carrie La Seur "Carrie La Seur’s début is a gripping story of family, love and murder. Set against an indelibly drawn Montana landscape, The Home Place explores the intangible ways we are both defined by and in opposition to the people and places we call home."
Three Souls (2013) Janie Chang "Compelling and utterly original. Janie Chang’s riveting debut gives us so much: a complex heroine, a window into the vanished world of pre-Communist China, a fascinating plot and language that sings. An intoxicating story of family, ambition and the risks we take for love."
