Molly Prentiss Knihy

A knock-out literary debut about three lives colliding in 1980s downtown New York. Raul is an Argentinian painter, fresh on New York's buzzing downtown scene, who has just caught the eye of the city's most infamous critic. James is the critic. His synaesthesia lets him interpret art as fireworks and symphonies - but he's just been struck by writer's block. And then there's Lucy: newly escaped from small-town Idaho, young and beautiful, she will become first Raul's lover and then James's. This electrifying debut captures the raw energy and spontaneity of the 1980s downtown scene - it is a celebration of the power of art, a love letter to New York and an intimate portrait of the strangers who embody the city's spirit.

A highly anticipated new novel exploring what it means to be a woman in her many forms—daughter, friend, partner, lover, and mother.Emily writes for women’s catalogs for a living, but she’d rather be writing books. She has a handsome photographer boyfriend, but she actively wonders how and when they will eventually hurt each other. Her best work friend Megan is her lifeline, until Megan is abruptly laid off. When her world is further upended by an unplanned pregnancy, Emily is forced to make tough decisions that will change her life forever. What will she sacrifice from her old life to make room for a new one? What fires will she be forced to extinguish, and which will keep burning? Old Flame is a story about the essential—and often existential—choices that define a woman’s life at every level, from which dress to wear to when to have a child to how to be in the world.

Publisher's description. Three lives collide in 1980s downtown New York: Argentinian painter Raul, infamous art critic James, and daisy-fresh young wanderer Lucy, a muse looking for her artist. This is a love letter to New York and the people who embodied the city's vital, messy, living spirit. Penguin