Rebellion: A Novel

"Molly Patterson is a writer of the first order, and her debut novel is a revelatory, immersive miracle. Ambitious in scope and exacting in its language, Rebellion becomes a grand exploration of fate and circumstance."—Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus

A sweeping debut that crosses continents and generations, Rebellion tells the story of Addie, Louisa, Hazel, and Juanlan: four women whose rebellions, big and small, are as unexpected as they are unforgettable.

At the heart of the novel lies a mystery: In 1900, Addie, an American missionary in China, goes missing during the Boxer Rebellion, leaving her family back home to wonder at her fate. Her sister Louisa—newly married and settled in rural Illinois—anticipates tragedy, certain that Addie’s fate is intertwined with her own legacy of loss.

In 1958, Louisa’s daughter Hazel has her world upended by the untimely death of her husband. It’s harvest time, and with two small children and a farm to tend, she is determined to keep her land and family intact. Yet even while she learns to enjoy her independence, Hazel realizes that the tradeoff for some freedoms is more precious than expected.

Nearly half a century later, Juanlan has returned to her parents’ home in Heng’an. With her father ill, her sister-in-law soon to give birth, and the construction of a new highway rapidly changing the town she once knew, she feels pressured on every side by powers outside her control. Frustrated by obligation and the smallness of her own dreams, Juanlan at last dares to follow desire, only to discover an anger that cannot be contained.

Moving from rural Illinois to the far reaches of China, Rebellion brilliantly links through action and consequence the story of four women, spanning more than a century. From the secrets they keep and the adventures they embark on, to the passions that ultimately drive them forward, the characters at the center of this electric debut dramatically fight against expectation in pursuit of their own thrilling fates.

A luminous debut from an exciting new voice in fiction, Molly Patterson’s Rebellion is an engrossing story about The price of pushing boundaries and following desires.  

A sweeping debut that crosses continents and generations, Rebellion tells the story of Addie, Louisa, Hazel, and Juanlan: four women whose rebellions, big and small, are as unexpected as they are unforgettable. 

At the heart of the novel lies a mystery: In 1900, Addie, an American missionary in China, goes missing during the Boxer Rebellion, leaving her family back home to wonder about her fate. Her sister Louisa—newly married and settled in rural Illinois—anticipates tragedy, certain that Addie’s fate is intertwined with her own legacy of loss. 

In 1958, Louisa’s daughter Hazel has her world upended by the untimely death of her husband. Although she’s now on her own with two small children and a farm to tend, it’s harvest time and she is determined to keep her land and family intact. Yet even while Hazel learns to enjoy her independence, she realizes that some freedoms are more costly than expected. 

Nearly a half-century later, Juanlan has returned to her parents’ home in Heng’an. With her father ill, her sister-in-law soon to give birth, and the construction of a new highway rapidly changing the town she once knew, she feels pressure on every side from powers beyond her control. Frustrated by obligation and the smallness of her own dreams, Juanlan at last dares to follow desire, only to discover an anger that cannot be contained.

Moving from rural Illinois to the far reaches of China and spanning more than a century, Rebellion brilliantly links the stories of four women through action and consequence. From the secrets they keep and the adventures they embark on to the passions that ultimately drive them forward, the characters at the center of this electric debut dramatically fight against expectation in pursuit of their own thrilling fates. 

“As with the characters of Flaubert and Chopin, Patterson’s women don’t always act in ways that are socially acceptable. In the hands of a lesser writer, these defiant acts might appear disreputable, but in Patterson’s hands how Hazel and Addie and Juanlan respond to the live wires inside them makes you think: Yeah, she had to do that. Good for her...This is a beautiful book — fast-moving, sensuous, vividly detailed.”  - Star Tribune

“Patterson has a gift for fluid storytelling and evocative prose. Each section of the book pulls the reader forward with a need to understand the connections between the story lines and the resolutions of the conflicts… The women in this deeply layered and skillfully narrated novel must rebel against who they are supposed to be, only then discovering who they actually are.” - Colorado Review

“Patterson’s epic narrative derives its propulsive intimacy from the personal insurrections of four women against their circumstances and expectations…Patterson adroitly zigzags in time, threading the women’s journeys with subtle detail and embellishing them with metaphors specific to each character.” - New York Times Book Review

“In precise, detailed language we experience the beginning of a life; a sudden, tragic death; and the awakening of the soul in these flesh-and-bone characters…The Pushcart Prize-winning Patterson has written quite a debut, truly a page-turner that shows her knowledge of life in China. She’s a natural storyteller with empathy for the plight of women, and book groups will have much to discuss with this sweeping, far-flung novel.” - Library Journal, starred review

“I found Molly Patterson’s Rebellion hypnotically compelling. I was taken by the grand sweep of the story, the simple, direct beauty of the prose, and above all these characters - people I came to know so well. Patterson captures rich, complex lives with great sensitivity and humanity.” - Peter Orner, Author of NBCC Award Finalist, Am I Alone Here? and Love and Shame and Love

“[A] remarkable debut… This is a book about the quiet unfolding of lives and the kind of rebellion that comes from following one’s heart.” - Booklist

“Strong women and their acts of rebellion in disparate circumstances are intriguingly connected in this vividly rendered, impressive debut…We see each woman interacting with family and friends, navigating the diverse challenges she faces, achieving a hard-won sense of self worth. Most remarkable is the subtle way Patterson ties all three lives together.” - Publishers Weekly

“[A] super debut… Patterson creates intimate moments that are moving but not manipulative. By not connecting all the dots, she allows her readers to bond more deeply with her characters in this refreshingly unsentimental historical novel.” - BookPage

“Read it for…the author’s dazzling ability to capture disparate settings…and to weave together the stories of four strong women.” - BookPage's Six of the Brightest Names in Fiction

“Molly Patterson is a writer of the first order, and her debut novel is a revelatory, immersive miracle. Ambitious in scope and exacting in its language, Rebellion becomes a grand exploration of fate and circumstance. It becomes its own wondrous universe.” - Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus

“The women who occupy Molly Patterson’s debut novel share a bond that stretches across continents and generations: a desire for more out of life. Rebellion is an epic, electric novel about the large and small ways defiance can transform a person.“ - Michele Filgate, writer and contributing editor at Literary Hub

“Molly Patterson has crafted an immersive tornado of a novel. With equal parts force and intimacy, Rebellion reaches across time and continents to connect the inner lives of four kindred women, each of them at battle with the limitations of their lives. Patterson writes with tremendous attention, the strokes of her words fluent and vivid, and it is a rare pleasure to feel that what we have conjured in our minds is exactly what Patterson intended. Rebellion is a throbbing, visceral saga about the brave acts of women.” - Cecily Wong, author of Diamond Head

“A talent to watch, Patterson manages to travel broad swaths of history and geography while creating intimate moments with a refreshing lack of sentimentality; and the novel’s sense of adventure makes it addictive reading.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)