The Cliffs

The Cliffs (2024) is J. Courtney Sullivan’s sixth novel. It’s a Reese’s Book Club Pick and was named a Best Book of the Month by The New York Times, Real Simple, and Kirkus. Sullivan’s career as a novelist began in 2010 with her first novel, Commencement, a New York Times bestseller. Her fourth book, Saints for All Occasions, was one of The Washington Post’s Best Books of 2017, a New York Times Critics Pick, and a Glamour Best Books to Read 2017. Sullivan’s novels focus on women’s lives and relationships, and The Cliffs addresses themes related to societal expectations of women, addiction and accountability, and the importance of perspective in historical accounts.

This study guide uses the 2024 Knopf Kindle edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide refer to alcohol use disorder, suicide, child loss, abuse, abduction, and anti-Indigenous racism and violence. In addition, the source text uses outdated and offensive terms for Indigenous people, which the guide replicates only in direct quotes.

Plot Summary

Jane Flanagan has returned to her hometown of Awadapquit, Maine, after her mother Shirley’s death. She’s living in Shirley’s house, once her grandmother Mary’s house, while she and her sister, Holly, sort through Shirley’s possessions.