I just finished the ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of “The Bird Hotel” by Joyce Maynard, and wow. The novel tells the story of an artist named Irene who, after suffering multiple tragedies, leaves her life in NY and moves to an unnamed Central American country a lot like Guatemala where she is gifted a decaying hotel on the shores of a beautiful lake a lot like Atitlan. In the process of restoring the rundown property, interacting with indigenous and expat locals and hotel guests, and absorbing the wisdom and magical realism inherent in living in the shadow of volcanoes, Irene rediscovers and heals herself.

The characters are vivid, imperfect, and believable, and the descriptions of setting evocative and spot on. And because Joyce is a master of storytelling, the plot twists and turns, with a mystery at its center. “The Bird Hotel” will appeal to anyone who loves to be transported to a different world by a book. It’s a place I personally want to check in, and never leave.

Publication date is May 2. But you can preorder now; link is here.

I’m grateful to Joyce Maynard, Skyhorse Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.