With a shriek of surprise, Zoey ran the rest of the way to the U-bend of the building. She stepped onto the sidewalk in front of a door marked MANAGER. The birds, disconcertingly, landed on the sidewalk and began to hop around her. Charlotte’s journey involves escaping a troubled past and reinventing herself. How did her character evolve throughout the story, and how did her experiences impact the other characters in the Dellawisp? Did you predict the twist related to Charlotte’s character?

There are several other characters, including a famous author, some who bond with Zoey over time, and some stories from the past, as well. There’s the grief of loss, but there is also the magic of healing, and families created from love, sprinkled with a touch of magical realism. In addition to Zoey’s, multiple perspectives are shared by the residents of the Dellawisp (and their ghosts). There’s Mac, an executive Chef, Charlotte, a henna artist, hoarder Lizbeth Lime, and her shut-in sister, Lucy Lime, as well as Oliver, Lizbeth’s son. The community is run by Frasier, the caretaker who holds a special affinity for the Dellawisp birds. I loved all of the characters, but there was something about Mac’s story that touched my heart. Sarah Addison Allen has reminded me once again why I love Magical Realism so much. How can I not love a book whose main character has an invisible bird named Pigeon and who resides in a condo complex with several ghosts and some curious little turquoise birds called dellawisps? It’s not really a question, because of course I’m going to love that!! Like TJ Klune, Allen captures the human spirit so well in a way that both charms and makes you feel for all the characters, while gently giving focus to some pretty heavy topics - in this case childhood trauma and healing old wounds. Allen skillfully weaves the various threads, as vignettes narrated by ghosts of former building residents provide further context as the plot unfurls…This will move readers.” --Publishers Weekly This book is about the grief, the ghosts of the people who shaped and reformed the main characters’ lives and power of learning how to let go and believe in yourself to start over!Situated right off the coast of South Carolina lies Mallow Island, a fragrant, sugary village that was once famous for its marshmallow candy. Eternally preserved in Sweet Mallow, a bestselling cult classic by the mysterious Roscoe Avanger, Mallow Island is now part tourist trap, part beloved home to its small-town citizens. We arrive on the island with 18-year-old Zoey Hennessy; she recently has inherited a condo from her mother, Paloma, who died when she was still a child. Zoey's greedy father has never been kind about his relationship with Paloma or his preserved connection to her thanks to his daughter. So when she gets the chance to enroll in college across the country and take ownership of the condo, she practically flies at the opportunity…along with Pigeon, the mysterious invisible bird who has been her constant companion since her mother’s death. The book employs its magic --- the otherworldly birds, the ghosts and even the mystery of Lizbeth’s story --- flawlessly, letting it propel rather than carry the narrative, and balancing each act of magical realism with a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking truth." An ode to family, the ones we create when the ones we’re born into are gone, or fail us, and the power of memories. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Reading Group Gold, and Sarah Addison Allen for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 8.30!**And that brings me to another theme of the book that I appreciated–letting go. Whether it’s holding a bit less tightly to the memory of a loved one, or leaving emotional or physical trauma in the past, letting go is sometimes the healthiest choice we can make for ourselves. The author doesn’t imply that it’s easy–one character has seen a therapist for years. Another becomes more and more lost as she doesn’t seek the help she needs. But the message that it’s okay and even necessary to move on shines through.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. At that moment, one of the glass-paned patio doors flew open and a woman in her forties with dark, greasy hair stepped out. She looked like she’d secretly raided someone’s dirty-laundry basket. She was wearing a skirt over a pair of pants and what appeared to be three different shirts, badly buttoned, one over another. She stared up at Zoey with protuberant green eyes that made her seem slightly mad. In my zeal to read a new book by Sarah Addison Allen, I found that I had inhaled this book in two sittings. Oops. No savoring the prose here. But a friend sent me an ARC so I feel the need to write a more reasoned review and I wanted another chance to take my time with the book anyway. So I’ve read this twice within about two weeks. It was just as good the second time. I loved the ghosts most of all! Lizbeth - that mean, unlovable curmudgeon! - was off the charts: a hoarder with a huge grudge against the world - and most especially against her sister, Lucy.Mallow Island serves as a vivid and integral setting in the book. Did you find the island’s portrayal realistic, and would you like to visit such a place? Share your thoughts on the surprising origin of the name “marshmallows” as revealed in the story. I want to thank Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press, for the copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.