The Invisibles: A Novel

by Cecilia Galante

Overview

In the vein of Meg Donohue and Jennifer Close, comes Cecilia Galante’s adult debut about the complicated and powerful bonds of female friendship—a compelling, moving novel that is told in both the present and the past.

Thrown together by chance as teenagers at Turning Winds Home for Girls, Nora, Ozzie, Monica, and Grace quickly bond over their troubled pasts and form their own family which they dub The Invisibles. But when tragedy strikes after graduation, Nora is left to deal with the horrifying aftermath alone as the other three girls leave home and don’t look back.

Fourteen years later, Nora is living a quiet, single life working in the local library. She is content to focus on her collection of “first lines” (her favorite opening lines from novels) and her dog, Alice Walker, when out-of-the-blue Ozzie calls her on her thirty-second birthday. But after all these years, Ozzie hasn’t called her to wish a happy birthday. Instead, she tells Nora that Grace attempted suicide and is pleading for The Invisibles to convene again. Nora is torn: she is thrilled at the thought of being in touch with her friends, and yet she is hesitant at seeing these women after such a long and silent period of time. Bolstered by her friends at the library, Nora joins The Invisibles in Chicago for a reunion that sets off an extraordinary chain of events that will change each of their lives forever.

The Invisibles is an unforgettable novel that asks the questions: How much of our pasts define our present selves? And what does it take to let go of some of our most painful wounds and move on? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062363527
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	402
Sales rank:	542,028
File size:	728 KB

About the Author

Cecilia Galante, who received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Goddard College, Vermont, is the author of eightyoung adult novels and a children’s chapter-book series. She has been the recipient of many awards, including an NAIBA Best Book of the Year, and an Oprah’s Teen Read Selection for her first novel, The Patron Saint of Butterflies. She lives in Kingston, Pennsylvania with her three children.

Editorial Reviews

With heart, wisdom, and a quartet of unforgettable protagonists, Cecilia Galante deftly examines the ways in which the sense of community created by profound friendships can act as a salve on even the deepest of wounds....Gripping and heartrending.” — Meg Donohue, USA Today bestselling author of ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS and DOG CRAZY

“In The Invisibles, Cecilia Galante artfully reminds us that even the most carefully constructed facade doesn’t stand a chance against the healing power of true friendship.” — —Zoe Fishman, author of Balancing Acts

“Cecilia Galante tells a difficult story with sensitivity and grace...Fraught with pain but quietly hopeful, The Invisibles is a moving tribute to the strength of female friendship.” — Shelf Awareness, starred review

From the Publisher

Cecilia Galante tells a difficult story with sensitivity and grace...Fraught with pain but quietly hopeful, The Invisibles is a moving tribute to the strength of female friendship.

Shelf Awareness

With heart, wisdom, and a quartet of unforgettable protagonists, Cecilia Galante deftly examines the ways in which the sense of community created by profound friendships can act as a salve on even the deepest of wounds....Gripping and heartrending.

Meg Donohue

In The Invisibles, Cecilia Galante artfully reminds us that even the most carefully constructed facade doesn’t stand a chance against the healing power of true friendship.

Zoe Fishman

06/15/2015
On the morning of her 32nd birthday, 15 years after the awful night that changed everything, Nora Walker gets a phone call. It's Ozzie, the bossy ringleader of the group of friends who called themselves the Invisibles at Trading Winds, the group home where she lived as a teen for two years. It's also been 15 long years since she's spoken to any of the other girls. Not one of them has reached out to her in that time. Now however, Nora's old roommate Grace, is in trouble. After a suicide attempt, she asks for the four—Ozzie, Nora, Monica, and Grace—to come together again. Hesitantly, Nora boards the plane to what might turn out to be a terrible weekend that dredges up everything she has worked so hard to bottle up. As the four friends tentatively learn about each of their new lives, the past is slowly revealed. VERDICT Galante's (Little Wings; Patron Saint of Butterflies) first adult novel is one of letting go of your past, allowing others to love you and above all else, forgiving yourself. For readers who like a solid story of healing and the power of friendship.—Melissa Keegan, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

Library Journal