Greenwich

In Broad’s insightful debut, a tragedy drives a wedge between a white teen girl and her new friend, who is Black, in tony Greenwich, Conn. Narrator Rachel Fiske, now 38, gradually reveals what happened during the fateful summer she spent after high school graduation with her aunt Ellen and uncle Laurent at their sprawling mansion. She’s ostensibly there to keep Ellen company while she recovers after falling from a horse, but Rachel’s true reason for being in Connecticut is to get away from her unhappy home in Boston, where she lost her friends after hooking up with another girl’s boyfriend. After she meets recent college graduate Claudia, her little cousin Sabine’s live-in nanny, they become fast friends and Rachel winds up falling for her. Meanwhile, Rachel grows disenchanted with the seemingly perfect town and the flashy Ellen, who is condescending to Claudia. Rachel also finds herself caring for Sabine on Claudia’s days off, when Ellen is neglectful and Laurent is away on business. After a catastrophic accident, Rachel weighs what to do, with her feelings for Claudia hanging in the balance. As Rachel tells the story, she thrillingly scrutinizes her brittle morality and desire to please. Fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere ought to take note. Agent: Jade Wong-Baxter, Frances Goldin Literary. (July)