Annie, Edward, and their young daughter, Rose, live in a cramped apartment. One night, without warning, they find a beautiful terrace hidden in their closet. It wasn’t there before, and it seems to only appear when their friend Stephanie visits. A city dweller’s dream come true! But every extra bit of space has a hidden cost, and the terrace sets off a seismic chain of events, forever changing the shape of their tiny home, and the shape of the world.

Terrace Story follows the characters who suffer these repercussions and reverberations: the little family of three, their future now deeply uncertain, and those who orbit their fragile universe. The distance and love between these characters expands limitlessly, across generations. How far can the mind travel when it’s looking for something that is gone? Where do we put our loneliness, longing, and desire? What do we do with the emotions that seem to stretch beyond the body, beyond the boundaries of life and death?

This book is essentially a collection of interconnected short stories, all surrounding the idea of a multi-verse where time and space can be bent to incorporate different realties. Hillary explores love, loss, grief and power in each story that connects in an intergenerational commentary.

I’ll be honest, this book may have gone over my head a bit. I really enjoyed the first story, but then the second one lost me and I fell off from reading for a bit, unsure if I would finish. I eventually dove back in and was glad I did because I very much enjoyed the third story and learning the other side of Stephanie’s story. The fourth story was short, although it lost me a bit again. I may have seen more of the connections and benefited further if I hadn’t read the entire book over such a long period of time.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book (albeit some parts more than others) and I would say it was definitely worth a read, despite me maybe not being the target audience. I would also consider reading this again when I’m in a different headspace.

I enjoyed many elements of this book but overall it didn't grab my attention as closely as I had hoped. I had a hard time following the different threads and looking for ways they would intersect. The futurism was interesting but I wish it was pushed a bit harder. Overall it was pleasant and enjoyable, but not very memorable or engaging.

A nesting doll story that's incorporates sci-fi & surreal, while exploring physical & metaphysical space. The 4 stories are intertwined that made me go back and reread to see what was missed the first time. It may not be for everyone, but does lend to a great book club discussion. And it was short, but didn't skimp on details- will definitely recommend!

Pub Day Review!
Terrace Story
By Hilary Leichter
This is a VERY interesting story!! I must say I went in blind, picking it up simply because I love the cover!!

This is the story of a couple, Annie and Edward, and their new baby Rose, moving their family to a cramped city apartment. One day when Annie's friend Stephanie comes to visit, a beautiful terrace suddenly appears in their closet, changing the course of each of their lives! Overtime, things for the characters spin wildly out of control.

Through four connecting stories, we get the main story from different angles. We see what the little family goes through- excitement, joy, love, disappointment, devastating loss, hope and survival. We also see the story of Stephanie intertwining with them. Many years later we see where life has led sweet baby Rose.

I really liked this story! Very different for me, but in a good way! The first half I loved!! The descriptions of the terrace were so vivid and magical! I would have loved visiting with friends on this terrace! Very interesting and original story!!

Out today: August 29, 2023

Thanks so much to @hilsaphina, @eccobooks, and @netgalley for the gifted ARC of Terrace Story!

I could not bring myself to finish this book. While the concept was interesting, I just could not get into the writing style. I found that the story was trying to delve into deeper subjects without the details or plot to supplement it. I couldn't get into any of the characters and I found their emotions and motives to be unrelatable. Overall, this might not be the book for me.

Leichter weaves an incredible interconnected series of stories, that I cannot stop thinking about. I especially cannot stop thinking about Stephanie and Annie's stories, with their complicated backstories. I love complicated characters, and Leichter writes them deliciously well.

Terrace Story was unlike anything I've ever read before. Such a unique premise! But at the same time, this book had me often feeling confused and disoriented. Maybe that was the author's intent...? The intertwining storylines are very well done and I liked many of the characters.

hilary leichter creates something magical in her latest novella.

told in four parts that interlock and connect, terrace story follows for the most part a family of three. annie, edward and their baby rose live in a small apartment in the city, that is until they open their closet and find a beautiful terrace space that transforms not only their apartment but their lives forever. the family’s happiness quickly turns into a nightmare when edward and little rose seem to get stuck in the surreal world of their terrace with no way to get back home, annie is left behind.

what happens next is a story told across three other generations, this is a story about love and how far it travels.

Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A young couple discovers a magical terrace through a door in their apartment. The terrace appears only at certain times. That's all you need to know going into this story. LOL

Terrace Story is a novel that reveals itself over the course of four narrative timelines. The lyrical prose was captivating and I was impressed with how the author connected each of the four chapters.

Magical realism. Distinct cast of characters. AND some twists and turns. Good stuff.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Ecco for gifting me a digital ARC of this magical book by Hilary Leichter - 4 stars!

Annie, Edward and their young daughter, Rose, live in a tiny apartment. However, when their new friend Stephanie visits, a closet magically transforms into a beautiful terrace. Without thinking of the consequences, they continue to have Stephanie over and spend time on the terrace. But there is a cost for everything.

There are four somewhat-interrelated stories here, all involving love and loss in such a magical way. A good reminder that actions have consequences for us and those we love. In this book, both space and time change; the writing is beautiful, invoking both sad and happy feelings.

"Terrace Story," a weird and wonderful short novel by Hilary Leichter, explores intriguing ideas about the future, environmental collapse and even the multiverse. Using matter-of-fact language to describe things that are anything but ordinary, Leichter introduces us to people who are searching for peace and also a little space of their own as the Earth inches (or hurtles?) toward catastrophe. The characters could be people much like ourselves 50 or a hundred years from now. They could already be us, living a life of relative privilege and trying to get through the day, sometimes not seeing the beauty in the ordinary -- a tree, a college party, a first kiss -- until it is irretrievably past. This is a work of science fiction without explosions and robots that instead invites us to see the magic of the lives we are living right this minute.

Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter, was an interesting read. It follows follows Annie, Edward and their young daughter Rose.
They live in a cramped apartment and it is often stifling. But when a friend name Stephanie visits, a terrace appears out of a closet. On the terrace they gain space and perspective. At first it is what anyone would want in a cramped apartment until they notice the repercussions. The people that visit, the changes for the family and the problems that arise can’t be ignored. But how can they stop them? There was a lot going on in this book and it was a lot to keep up with. I liked the writing but struggled with the story. It hit a lot of topics but didn’t have much substance. Over all this was a 4 star review for me. I am sure this book was a five for some but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. That is ok because i love to try new stories by new authors and this was no different. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review.

The first section of this novel had me so, so hooked. I feel like I need to reread it so I can fit in how all of the pieces tie together. Perfect for lit-sci readers.

4.5- This is gong to be one of those books people either love or hate and while I thought I would be in the latter category, but actually I am in the former! Made up of 4 short stories that comprehensively come together to form one long story, we follow the lives of Edward, Annie, Stephanie, and Rose.
Taking place in a time where most animals are extinct but cities are still bustling, the first story introduces us to Edward, Annie, and their infant daughter, Rose. They live in a tiny apartment and are shocked when Annie’s friend from work comes for dinner and suddenly there is a terrace where their tiny closet used to be. There terrace only appears when Stephanie is there and while they don’t understand why, they love having the extra space. The second story introduces us to George, Lydia, and their daughter, Anne. The third story tells us Stephanie’s story and the last story is Rosie’s, a young woman whose job is to interview people who looking to move to colonies in space.
I can definitely see this book being used in an AP Lit class because of how deep it actually is. It got its start as a short story in Harper’s Magazine in 2020 and I’m so happy Hilary Leichter decided to expand it to something bigger.
Terrace Story is a little trippy, a little sad, and extremely well written. It will leave you feeling fulfilled and thinking about life in a different way. Thank you to Ecco for this advanced copy. This hit the shelves August 29th.

A gorgeously written and deeply felt, trippy journey through the emotional impacts of our earliest and most formative relationships. I loved this very special book and I intend to read it again someday.

Weird and wonderful. Not at all what I expected, but so much better. This book felt like it jumped genres with each of it's interconnected stories, it was a little bit contemporary, a little bit fantasy, a little sci-fi, and a lot surreal. When I first started it I was fooled in to thinking it would just be a charming story of a family with a magical door leading out to a terrace they didn't know was part of their home.... and then I got to the end of that section and started the next. Whoa, is this way, way more than any of that. Terrace Story will not be for everyone, I will certainly have to be thoughtful in who I recommend it to, but boy did I enjoy it, the final section especially.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I think I may need to re-read this again to fully understand everything. I got a little lost along the way. Nonlinear story with magical realism elements.

I met god and her name is Hilary Leichter.

Her debut novel, "Temporary," has been on my radar for what seems like decades (see: me buying/adding more books on my TBR when there is like 18282 books already). Then I saw this gorgeous cover and without knowing anything about it, I requested and I got approved!

I just need to know what she's on and where she's getting this insane amount of creativity from because I need to find a fix. My inner Kelly Link stan was absolutely going feral while I was reading this book because Leichter absolutely leaned into a wild premise and carried it over the finish line. This is one of those books that are going to be described as "not for everyone" and criminally overlooked by the big prize categories -- the Booker, the National Book Award, but hopefully not the Women's Prize -- simply because it's weird, wild, and absolutely fun to read while also telling one of the most heart-wrenching, emotionally honest novels I've read in a while.

In the four sections, entire lives are unspooled. Stephanie's lonely upbringing brought on by the sudden death of her sister; Annie and Eddie's complicated relationship with her, as well as the entire backstory surrounding Annie's life, and how their daughter Rose came into existence. It's an example of a short story being expanded into a novel done exceedingly well. Done in a way that is powerful and so aggressively well-written and beautiful and I was gasping, and highlighting so much on my Kindle.

Thank you endlessly to HarperCollins and Netgalley for access to the ARC! <3

This book is really special. There are some books I read and immediately decide I should suggest for my book club. But some books that would be a great fit for my book club I will never recommend- not because they wouldn't find it interesting and evocative or provide lots of conversation, but because I couldn't bear it if someone hated it and told me about it. This is that sort of book! It is technically not a novel, but four interconnected stories which I am sorry, do not constitute a single narrative. That said, I absolutely loved this. I loved how real the characters felt, and how the puzzle of how things worked was explained and not. Mostly I loved how this deals with love and loss and blends the banal of real life with the magic of what could be in a really interesting way. Five stars, and I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion*

I loved the way this book was presented. It was like sitting on a balcony, people watching, and during the time spent there you were able to see some stories play out. Hilary Leichter really gives a voice to some themes ( sadness, loneliness) that typically are shied away from.

Definitely would recommend