Read by Emmy Bean and Evan Sears

An Indie Next Pick

A deeply moving family story unfolding in richly evocative prose during the final decades of the American century, Ashland is a book of metamorphoses—of the dance between permanence and transformation.

The story takes place in Ashland, New Hampshire, a former mill town in the lakes region, and is told in six voices, among them Carolyn, a twenty year old writer at a turning point in her life; Gordon, who arrives in Ashland in the twilight of his years; Andy, a local boy; Geoff, Carolyn's writing teacher at Plymouth State; and Edith, Gordon's wife, who is inadvertently Carolyn's spiritual guide and friend. Then there is Jennie, Carolyn's aunt, who seems to offer her a model for how to live. But things aren't always what they seem, and Carolyn must discover her own rules and make her own way.

Ashland is a debut novel of great intensity, beautifully told in the voices of many vivid characters and, through them, in the voice of Ashland itself.

“Like a modern Thornton Wilder with a touch of Faulkner.”—Andrew Solomon

Dan Simon
Dan Simon is the founder and editor-in-chief of Seven Stories Press. Ashland is his debut novel. He lives in New York and New Hampshire.

• Jan 20 2026
  “This leaves a lasting impression.”
  — Publishers Weekly
• Nov 8 2025
  ★ “Powerfully poetic.”
  — Kirkus Reviews