The Phoebe Variations

The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World returns with a stunning coming-of-age novel about girls, mothers, and finding one's way in the world.

Seventeen-year-old Phoebe was never interested in her birth family. But on the cusp of her high school graduation, her adoptive mother, Greta, insists on a visit to meet her biological parents and siblings. The encounter is a jolt, a revelation that derails Phoebe.

With the help of her best friend Luna, Phoebe runs away--as far as their friend Patrick O'Connor's chaotic home, where she hopes to go unnoticed among his thirteen siblings. But when Phoebe asks Patrick to chop off her hip-length hair, she's suddenly transformed. Patrick's older brothers can't help but notice the striking, Peter Pan-like stranger who has suddenly appeared in their midst.

What starts as an adolescent rebellion soon spirals into a whirlwind of self-discovery and unexpected connections. As she grapples with her shifting identity and strained relationships, Phoebe must navigate the tumultuous road out of girlhood and chart a new and unknown course.

Author: Jane Hamilton
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Zibby Publishing
Published: 09/23/2025
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.35w x 1.26d
ISBN: 9798991140287


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2025 pg. 2
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025
Booklist 08/01/2025

About the Author

Jane Hamilton's novels have won literary prizes, have been made into films, and have been international bestsellers, and two of them, The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World, were selections of Oprah's Book Club. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times; The Washington Post; Allure; O, The Oprah Magazine; Elle; and various anthologies. She lives on an apple farm in Wisconsin.