Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
Sisters Natalie and Alice Kessler were close until adolescence wrenched them apart. Natalie is a headstrong, manipulative beauty; Alice is a dreamer who loves books and birds. During a lakeside summer holiday, they sit for a family portrait by struggling young painter Thomas Bayber. By summer's end, three lives are shattered. Decades later, Bayber, now a reclusive, world-renowned artist, unveils a never-before-seen work, Kessler Sisters. Bayber asks Dennis Finch, an art history professor, and Stephen Jameson, an eccentric young art authenticator, to sell the painting for him. That task becomes more complicated when the artist requires that they first locate Natalie and Alice, who seem to have vanished.
Tags
Is The gravity of birds appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This literary romance explores complex family dynamics, long-buried secrets, and lost love across decades. Contains minimal content concerns but deals with mature themes of estrangement and emotional trauma.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include emotional abuse, family estrangement, and trauma (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens interested in art, family mysteries, and multi-generational stories will appreciate this slow-burn romance about reconnection.