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From the author of Mercy House and The Happiest Girl in the World comes a brilliant, dual timeline novel about a daughter discovering her mother’s past as a female pilot during World War II and the consequences of women’s contributions remaining unrecognized.
Kathy Begley is an empty nester, the primary caretaker of her ailing mother, and the emotional support for her laid-off husband. She’s also returning to the office after two decades to work under a borderline inappropriate boss. Then a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony invitation arrives, and she uncovers an unfathomable family secret: her mother, Peggy Mayfield, wasn’t just a tempestuous wife and mother. She was a Women Airforce Service Pilot.
Peggy jumped at the opportunity to become a WASP, the first American females to fly military aircraft. She wore men’s uniforms, sweated, studied, trained, and soared. She also danced, drank, played poker, and fell in love with adventure, new friends, and her commanding officer.
Once a spunky flyer, Peggy is now filled with regret as she confronts the end of her life, but Kathy is determined to make her last months count by securing Peggy long overdue recognition, appreciating her anew, and forgiving her before it’s too late.
Eyes Turned Skyward is an unforgettable novel about unheralded female heroism, the transformation of misogyny, inheritance, and ultimately, reconciliation.
Alena Dillon is the author of Mercy House, which is in development as a CBS All Access television series. Her work has appeared in publications including LitHub, River Teeth, Slice Magazine, The Rumpus, and Bustle. She teaches creative writing and lives on the north shore of Boston with her husband, son, and dog.
"In Eyes Turned Skyward, Alena Dillon has masterfully woven together dual timelines and complex characters in an engrossing and emotional story that celebrates the contributions made by WASP members while also demonstrating how their sacrifices, losses, and lack of recognition by the government impacted their lives following the war.” — Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Flight City
"A brilliant and often heartbreaking account of a young girl striving to live a complicated dream, The Happiest Girl In The World probes the tragedy of the at-all-costs mentality that fuels Olympic performances." — Blythe Lawrence, co-author of Aly Raisman’s Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything
"The Happiest Girl in the World is a tender reflection on the importance of second chances, the ways in which both courage and cowardice can break a person, and what it takes to make yourself whole again." — Meghan MacLean Weir, author of The Book of Essie
"Happiest Girl in the World is a searing look at elite gymnastics and the lengths an athlete will go to reach her goal. Dillon writes a harrowing story about how hope can be saddled with burdens, and sacrifice can wear down the soul. Timely and spirited, I devoured this book." — Elissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
“Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects — fictional and real — any other way.” — PopSugar
“Dillon (Mercy House) explores the dark side of elite gymnastics in her engrossing ripped-from-the-headlines latest…Dillon’s excellent psychological drama will stay with readers.” — Publishers Weekly
“A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we’ve all been waiting for.”
— Amy Schumer on Mercy House
“In Mercy House, Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction’s more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose tale—and that of her housemates—is as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut.” — Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman, and A Good Neighborhood
