Little Pieces of Me: A Novel

“A powerful story of family and connection that is just as fun as it is heartbreaking. I didn’t want the story to end.” —  Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost and Everything After 

Following her acclaimed debut novel, You and Me and Us, Alison
Hammer offers a deeply moving story of family and identity. When a DNA test
reveals a long-buried secret, a woman must look to the past to understand her
mother and herself.

When
Paige Meyer gets an email from a DNA testing website announcing that her father
is a man she never met, she is convinced there must be a mistake. But as she
digs deeper into her mother’s past and her own feelings of being the odd child
out growing up, Paige begins to question everything she thought she knew. Could
this be why Paige never felt like she fit in her family, and why her mother
always seemed to keep her at an arm’s length? And what does it mean for Paige’s
memories of her father, a man she idolized and whose death she is still
grieving?

Back
in 1975, Betsy Kaplan, Paige’s mom, is a straightlaced sophomore at the
University of Kansas. When her sweet but boring boyfriend disappoints her,
Betsy decides she wants more out of life, and is tired of playing it safe.
Enter Andy Abrams, the golden boy on campus with a potentially devastating
secret. After their night together has unexpected consequences, Betsy is
determined to bury the truth and rebuild a stable life for her unborn child,
whatever the cost.

When
Paige can’t get answers from her mother, she goes looking for the only other
person who was there that night. The more she learns about what happened, the
more she sees her unflappable, distant mother as a real person faced with an
impossible choice. But will it be enough to mend their broken relationship?

Told
in dual timelines, Little Pieces of Me examines identity and how the way
we define ourselves changes (or not) through our life experiences. 

"In Little Pieces of Me, Hammer expertly weaves past and present, capturing the threads that bind one family. A story of hidden truths, identity, and parent-child relationships, readers will be drawn to these memorable characters and their journey toward understanding. Be prepared to laugh and cry along the way. Brava, Alison Hammer for another fabulous read."  - Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today Bestselling Author

“A powerful story of family and connection that is just as fun as it is heartbreaking. I didn’t want the story to end.”

Hammer’s latest, Little Pieces of Me, an intricately woven tale told from a mother and her daughter’s perspective of their family’s hidden secrets. Hammer delves in deep, examining how we define ourselves – and how far we would go to learn untold truths. Readers will relish the complex characters and the captivating plot. Most of all, the powerful emotional tension is guaranteed to keep you turning pages well past your bed-time.  - Lisa Barr, award-winning author of The Unbreakables

"Hammer’s second novel (after You and Me and Us) explores the true meaning of family in a timely, thought-provoking story of identity and self-discovery."

“A compassionate and deeply moving exploration of love and loss, You and Me and Us will break your heart and put it back together more than once by the last page. Alison Hammer has crafted an emotional story about marriage, family, and friendship that is both intimate and universal, and most importantly, unforgettable.”  - Lisa Duffy, author of My Kind of People and This is Home.

“Hammer is an expert at both tugging heartstrings and keeping the reader utterly immersed in a world of hope and heartbreak. A great new voice in women’s fiction.” - Kristin Harmel, #1 international bestselling author of The Winemaker's Wife

"Kudos to Alison Hammer! LITTLE PIECES OF ME is a lovingly crafted modern family saga spanning decades and circumstances. It illuminates the question of family in a timely and thoughtful manner that’s perfect for book clubs. The intense and heartfelt story will make you think hard and hug your loved ones harder." - Amy Sue Nathan, bestselling author of The Last Bathing Beauty

"A gorgeous, heartbreaking-yet-hopeful story about identity, truth, and most importantly, that tender—and sometimes tense—tightrope that connects mothers and daughters. Alison Hammer has that rare gift of writing true-to-life characters that feel like good friends, and I can't wait to see what she writes next." - Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of You Were There Too

“You and Me and Us is that rare novel you want to savor even as you’re turning the pages as fast as possible. This poignant and heartrending story of a family redefining their roles in the face of a crisis made me smile and cry. Alison Hammer is an exciting new voice in women’s fiction, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.” - Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You.