Joyce Maynard is the author of numerous books, including the novels To Die For, Baby Love, and The Usual Rules, and the best-selling memoir, At Home in the World. Her novel, Labor Day, became a motion picture in theaters January 2014, adapted and directed by Jason Reitman, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. She has been a reporter and columnist for the New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist, a regular contributor to NPR and national magazines including Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, MORE, Salon, and many more. Under the Influence (William Morrow) is her latest novel. Drinking cost Helen her marriage and custody of her seven-year-old son, Ollie. When she meets Ava and Swift Havilland, the vulnerable Helen is instantly enchanted. Wealthy, connected philanthropists, they have their own charity devoted to rescuing dogs. As Helen increasingly falls under the Havillands’ influence, Ava and Swift hold out the most seductive gift: their influence and help to regain custody of her son. After Ollie witnesses an accident involving Swift, his grown son, and the daughter of the Havillands’ housekeeper. With her young son’s future in the balance, Helen must choose between the truth and the friends who have given her everything.
