An epic novel—based on true events—of love, grief, race, and wealth, charting a single sweltering summer in Atlanta that left no one unchanged On a humid summer day, the phones begin to ring: disaster has struck. Chateau de Sully, a Boeing 707 chartered to ferry home more than one hundred of Atlanta’s most prominent citizens from a European jaunt, crashed in Paris shortly after takeoff. It is the second-deadliest disaster in the history of aviation. Overnight, the city of Atlanta changes. Left behind are children, spouses, lovers, and friends faced with renegotiating their lives. Robert, a newspaper editor, must decide if he can reconnect with his beloved but estranged wife, whose swindler parents have left her penniless. Nineteen-year-old Piedmont Dobbs, recently denied admission to an integrated school, senses a moment of uncertain opportunity. And Mayor Ivan Allen is tasked with the job of moving Atlanta forward—the hedonism of the 60s and the urgency of the Civil Rights movement at his city’s doorstep. Visible Empire is the story of a husband and wife who can’t begin to understand each other until chaos drives them to clarity. It’s a story of the promise and hope that remain in the wake of crisis.**ReviewAn Indie Next List Pick One of iBooks "Summer's Most Anticipated Books" A Publisher’s Lunch “Highly Anticipated” Title A Southern Living "Best New Book of Summer" A Bitter Southerner “Upcoming Southern Novel We Can’t Wait to Read” “Visible Empire starts out as an examination of a mass tragedy and slowly morphs into something more intimate and revelatory. Hannah Pittard’s novel is a deeply resonant portrait of individuals—and a city—in the throes of grief, and on the cusp of momentous change.”—Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher and Little Children “Hannah Pittard knows that Faulkner was right: the past is never dead - it isn't even past. In her stunning novel, Visible Empire, she brings harrowing incidents from 1962 into the present with the vivid immediacy of a documentary film. Writing of love, family, race, devastating loss, redemption, riveting mysteries revealed, Pittard composes a grand symphony of profound incidents and passages of life—a compassionate, spellbinding novel.”—Howard Norman, author of My Darling Detective “Visible Empire tells of a community altered by tragedy and of citizens brought together by calamity. But it is also about the disasters we cause and the wreckage we must sift through afterward in order to understand the more mysterious aspects of our hearts. For those who've been following Pittard since The Fates Will Find Their Way, it's a thrilling book to read because it is to witness an important writer climb to new heights, and then soar.”—Adam Ross, author of Mr. Peanut “Visible Empire is Hannah Pittard's best book to date. Compelling, shocking, strong and brave. Who should read this? Everyone, everyone.”—Helen Ellis, author of American Housewife “While stitching together the threads of several lives linked to a horrifying air disaster, Hannah Pittard unravels the fabric of their larger social world, revealing the true horror. Her prose is daring and confident, stellar and sharp. This is highly charged writing, a gripping and satisfying story.”—Bobbie Ann Mason, author of In Country and The Girl in the Blue Beret “Hannah Pittard is fast becoming one of the best writers of her generation, fusing the best aspects of literary and commercial fiction. Read her now, and thank me later.”—Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter “In Visible Empire Hannah Pittard has written a work that is intricate, emotionally difficult and frequently moving. It's a view of the past that tells us much of what we need to know about the present.”—Rion Amilcar Scott, author of InsurrectionsAbout the Author HANNAH PITTARD was born in Atlanta. She is the author of four novels, including Listen to Me and The Fates Will Find Their Way. Her work has appeared in the Sewanee Review, the New York Times, and other publications. She is a professor of English at the University of Kentucky, where she directs the MFA program in creative writing.

A modern gothic about a marriage and road trip gone hauntingly awry Mark and Maggie's annual drive east to visit family has gotten off to a rocky start. By the time they're on the road, it's late, a storm is brewing, and they are no longer speaking to one another. Adding to the stress, Maggie — recently mugged at gunpoint — is lately not herself, and Mark is at a loss about what to make of the stranger he calls his wife. When they are forced to stop for the night at a remote inn, completely without power, Maggie's paranoia reaches an all-time and terrifying high. But when Mark finds himself threatened in a dark parking lot, it's Maggie who takes control.