The Stylist: A Poignant Novel About Overcoming Secrets and Finding Strength in Friendship

As children, Hayden and her sisters ran carefree through the wilds of rural Connecticut when their father was away writing novels. But when he eventually returned, the spontaneous nature of their female household gave way to his oppressive regulation.

Years later, Hayden has moved south to Hoboken, New Jersey, where she works as a hair stylist in a salon filled with the easy laughter and unfettered joy that colored the best days of her childhood. But into this paradisiacal community arrives a stranger, much like Hayden, who is also haunted by a dark secret and a troubled past. Together these two misfits will form a tentative bond that will help them overcome personal crises and pain, as they struggle to discover who they truly are and to find the strength to move on.

Cai Emmons's debut novel, His Mother's Son, won the Ken Kesey Award for the Novel in 2003. She is also a playwright, editor, director, and screenwriter, with many credits and awards to her name. Her plays have been produced at the American Place Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and Theatre Genesis. She has taught at USC and UCLA, and now teaches at the University of Oregon in Eugene.