Lisa Alther

Tart-tongued Tennessean Ginny Babcock seems to live in an idyllic world-and her mother documents every moment for the family's home movies. But mother's "kinflicks" don't capture everything about Ginny. Not by a long shot. Original Sins: In this "thoroughly endearing" novel, Sally, Emily, Jed, Raymond, and Donny are friends who dream big in rural Tennessee (Chicago Tribune). But the road to reality isn't quite what they imagined. Some take the safe...