As Bright as Heaven

Told through alternating perspectives, Meissner's (Secrets of a Charmed Life; A Fall of Marigolds) latest follows the story of the Bright family as they move to Philadelphia in 1918 to assume their inherited place within the family funeral business. The relocation is meant to ease the loss of Henry, their youngest member, but just as they start to navigate their grief, the Spanish flu hits the city, devastating them anew. Each of the women in this family confronts death differently: Pauline, the matriarch, embraces it as an everyday companion; Evelyn and Willa, the oldest and youngest daughters, respectively, run away with everything they have; while middle daughter Maggie aims to circumvent death entirely. When Maggie makes an impulsive choice at a crucial moment of the pandemic, her family's life is forever altered. The reckoning of her choice unfolds in the second half of the novel and ultimately brings the story full circle.