Where the Sweet Bird Sings

In this provocative new novel, the author of Root, Petal, Thorn offers a powerful story of resilience, hope, and the secrets that, no matter how deeply hidden, can shape and ultimately unite a family. What connects us to one another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Is it blood? Or is it love?

People respond to tragedy in different ways. Some try to move on. Some don’t move at all. A year after her young son’s death due to a rare genetic disease, Emma Hazelton is still frozen by grief, unable and unwilling to consider her husband Noah’s suggestion that they try to have another child.

As the future Emma once imagined crumbles, her family’s past comes into sharp relief. Searching for the roots of her son’s disease, Emma tries to fit together the pieces in her genealogical puzzle. Hidden within an old wedding photograph of her great-grandparents is an unusual truth Emma never guessed at—a window into all the ways that love can be surprising, generous, and fiercely brave . . . and a discovery that may help her find her own way forward at last.

Praise for WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS:

"In Where the Sweet Bird Sings, Ella Joy Olsen explores loss, grief, and family secrets. And shows us that although DNA may explain a great deal about the relationships between mothers and sons, sisters and brothers, grandchildren and grandparents, it is love, not genetics, that makes a family." Julie Lawson Timmer, author of Five Days Left and Untethered

"This beautifully written story takes a fresh look at grief, as a young mother searches for her identity and finds answers, solace, and healing in her family’s past. A must read for lovers of book club fiction!” Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son and Echoes of Family

"With heart and skill, Ella Joy Olsen has created characters whose lives and stories will resonate with readers. Where the Sweet Bird Sings is a compelling story that will captivate lovers of vulnerable, bold fiction." Marybeth Whalen, author of The Things We Wish Were True, When We Were Worthy and co-founder of She Reads.

"Filled with secrets spanning several generations, WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS is an exploration into the what it means to be a family and how lies threaten the bonds between the people who are supposed to know each other best. Olsen's gorgeous prose draws you in from the first page and as the mystery unravels, you'll find yourself turning the pages faster and faster. A heartwarming read of love, letting go, and ultimately, finding yourself." - Jamie Raintree, Author of Perfectly Undone

Praise for ROOT, PETAL, THORN

Root, Petal, Thorn mixes history and genealogy into a believable novel. - RT Book Reviews 4.5 Stars Top Pick

“Exploring the residents of one house gives Olsen a way to explore the layers of lived experience that eventually turn into what we know as history. [It is] provocative in the way it explodes and expands the category of historical fiction.” The Salt Lake Tribune

Five women. Five complicated lives. One house where they all live over a period of one hundred years. In this story, the walls talk. Wonderful, compelling saga! Cathy Lamb, author of My Very Best Friend and The Language of Sisters