Renowned—albeit washed-up—author Peter Zemeckis ("Z") is relishing the sunset of a life spent single when Dr. Nancy Chu crash-lands in the bungalow next door. As Nancy's family drags him into deeper water, Z must rethink the ending to his own story.
Spanning from Amarillo, Texas, in 1977 to La Jolla, California, in 2012, The Daughters is a kaleidoscopic meditation on family, memory, and the invisible forces that bind us. Z's narrative interweaves small-town rodeos with amateur radios, teen angst with parental love. Shard by shard, he pieces together the story of a fractured family struggling to reassemble itself.
Like particles, Z's characters (and neighbors) are both small and singular, but their stories ripple like waves—colliding, refracting, and reshaping one another across generations. Elegant, intricate, and deeply moving, The Daughters reverberates long after its final page is turned.
About the Author :
Ben Rogers is the author of the novels The Flamer and The Heavy Side, and the short story collection The Mayfly. He is also the lead author of two books on nanotechnology. He lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife and daughters.
Review :
"Rogers crafts a richly textured vision of everyday life as he explores the ways the bonds of family stretch and collapse over generations. . . . An authentic and poignant depiction of the complex, contradictory relationships among family members."
--Kirkus Reviews "What a find Ben Rogers is. I couldn't put The Daughters down. It's all heart and soul. Rogers is a sharp writer who has built a beautiful novel that doesn't pull any punches. Growing up is hard on everyone: mothers, fathers, and daughters--and for both good and bad, daughters carry with them what they learn. I can't recommend this one enough."
--Willy Vlautin, author of The Horse, recipient of the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize
"With profound empathy for the complexities of the human psyche and a sensory-drenched evocation of place, Rogers harnesses the combined power of science and story to illuminate our seemingly infinite capacity to hurt--and to heal--the ones we love."
--Alicia Barber, PhD, writer and historian, author of Reno's Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City
"A mother who chooses a business suit over apron strings. A daughter who levies her revenge on her steadfast father and his new love, a woman who only tries to fill the girl's cracks with gold. The Daughters drifts through radio frequencies, ocean waves, and a metal detector to excavate forgiveness in this vibrating novel."
--Laura Newman, 2024 Silver Pen Award recipient, author of The Darling of the Black Rock Desert: Three Novellas Set in the West
