Michelle Bailat-Jones has written a stark, haunting novel that explores
the binds of family, of marriage, and of mothering and being mothered.
In the wake of Ella's father's death, what appears to be an ending is in
fact the beginning of unraveling a life's worth of mysteries, as well as
what it means to forgive others and forgive oneself. This is a gorgeous,
sea-drenched book of exceptional lyricism that drew me in from the very
first page."--Anne Valente, author of Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down
Unfurled is a poignant novel about the chaos of life, and the mind and
heart. Bailat-Jones writes with clarity, control, beauty, and a
crystalline understanding of people--our fragility and strength, flaws
and virtues, wounds and recovery. A wonderful accomplishment. --Ethel
Rohan, author of The Weight of Him
For more than twenty years, Ella has learned to live without her mother,
Maggie, who disappeared into a fog of mental illness when Ella turned
ten. Despite this trauma, Ella has forged ahead, becoming a
veterinarian, getting married, and most of all, developing a deep,
trusting bond with her father, John, a ferry captain in Seattle.
Ella's contented life is shattered when her father is hit by a car and
killed. Going through his papers, she learns that her father maintained
a secret relationship with her mother. The unsettling questions raised
by her father's death and her mother's unexpected reappearance sends
Ella on a journey to discover the truth about the woman who abandoned
her and the man who raised her, a journey that threatens her marriage,
her unborn child, and ultimately, her sanity.
