Praise for This Side of Providence
"It is a book of such power that it is as if a completely new layer of the American experience has been exposed to our view. And like many a great works of fiction, not one line is wasted and every single word rings true." — Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple
“This powerful story about what it means to be a family and the struggles members endure to stay together will appeal to fans of Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Heather Gudenkauf, and dramatic family-centric fiction.” — Library Journal
"So beautifully written and incredibly compelling that I found myself not wanting to do anything but sit inside this world until everyone turned out all right. Rachel Harper is a stunning writer.” —Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Miracle’s Boys
"The story of Arcelia's family is powerful." — Publishers Weekly
"A truly remarkable novel. Rachel Harper writes with jagged grace and unflinching courage—a willingness to confront fear and pain through characters beautifully alive with feeling, truth, and compassion."—Scott O'Connor, author of Half World and Untouchable
“Luminous, heartbreaking, and profoundly redemptive... a hauntingly beautiful novel about the unbreakable bonds between a wounded mother and the children she tries to love.." —Rebecca Walker, author of Áde, A Love Story
"Here is a novel that can save lives... . I'll never forget these characters, or this novel." — Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and The Fountain of St. James Court, or Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman
"An ambitious, beautifully written, heartfelt novel that demonstrates the centrality of family under the most arduous of conditions.” —Jervey Tervalon, author of Understand This and Monster's Chef
"With deep empathy and intellect, Harper paints a universal story of honest, imperfect love and hard-won family. This gorgeous book balances the gritty with the good-hearted, reminding us that only what is dark and difficult can give rise to redemption.” ––Neela Vaswani, author of You Have Given Me a Country
"Harper's great achievement is that of choirmaster: the arrangement of timbre and pace and keeping the voices honest and clear, and somehow pitched toward love."
— Justin Torres, author of We the Animals
"A stunning achievement—I did not want this novel to end, but when it did, I felt a rush of cathartic joy.” —K. L. Cook, author of The Girl from Charnelle and Love Songs for the Quarantined
Praise for Brass Ankle Blues, Harper's debut novel:
Selected as one of Borders' "Best Original Voices"
Selected by Target's "Break Out Books" program
"(T)he classic narrative of the transformative summer cries out for a contemporary heroine like Nellie, and the family tensions, poignant discoveries, and richly evoked setting should help this find a broad audience." —Jennifer Mattson, Booklist
"This is a marvelous novel." —The Providence Journal
Praise for This Side of Providence
"It is a book of such power that it is as if a completely new layer of the American experience has been exposed to our view. And like many a great works of fiction, not one line is wasted and every single word rings true." — Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple
“This powerful story about what it means to be a family and the struggles members endure to stay together will appeal to fans of Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Heather Gudenkauf, and dramatic family-centric fiction.” — Library Journal
"So beautifully written and incredibly compelling that I found myself not wanting to do anything but sit inside this world until everyone turned out all right. Rachel Harper is a stunning writer.” —Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Miracle’s Boys
"The story of Arcelia's family is powerful." — Publishers Weekly
"A truly remarkable novel. Rachel Harper writes with jagged grace and unflinching courage—a willingness to confront fear and pain through characters beautifully alive with feeling, truth, and compassion."—Scott O'Connor, author of Half World and Untouchable
“Luminous, heartbreaking, and profoundly redemptive... a hauntingly beautiful novel about the unbreakable bonds between a wounded mother and the children she tries to love.." —Rebecca Walker, author of Áde, A Love Story
"Here is a novel that can save lives... . I'll never forget these characters, or this novel." — Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and The Fountain of St. James Court, or Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman
"An ambitious, beautifully written, heartfelt novel that demonstrates the centrality of family under the most arduous of conditions.” —Jervey Tervalon, author of Understand This and Monster's Chef
"With deep empathy and intellect, Harper paints a universal story of honest, imperfect love and hard-won family. This gorgeous book balances the gritty with the good-hearted, reminding us that only what is dark and difficult can give rise to redemption.” ––Neela Vaswani, author of You Have Given Me a Country
"Harper's great achievement is that of choirmaster: the arrangement of timbre and pace and keeping the voices honest and clear, and somehow pitched toward love."
— Justin Torres, author of We the Animals
"A stunning achievement—I did not want this novel to end, but when it did, I felt a rush of cathartic joy.” —K. L. Cook, author of The Girl from Charnelle and Love Songs for the Quarantined
Praise for Brass Ankle Blues, Harper's debut novel:
Selected as one of Borders' "Best Original Voices"
Selected by Target's "Break Out Books" program
"(T)he classic narrative of the transformative summer cries out for a contemporary heroine like Nellie, and the family tensions, poignant discoveries, and richly evoked setting should help this find a broad audience." —Jennifer Mattson, Booklist
"This is a marvelous novel." —The Providence Journal
