Submitted by Gary Feinstein
(October 17, 2024) — Local author Gary Feinstein has released his debut young adult novel, Under the Family Tree, through RiverQuest Publishing. It’s a funny and poignant story about a young girl’s transformative journey to find family after her mother is sentenced to four years in prison on drug charges. Both a coming of age tale, and a mystery that explores family secrets, it is sure to appeal to both teens and adults.
The novel follows the life of high school sophomore Dakota Lodi, and the aftermath of her mother’s incarceration. Forced to live with her estranged grandmother, she decides to search for the father she’s never known. With the help of her only friend, Rosie Peña, they track down her mother’s old friends, but most of them aren’t too stoked about reliving the past, especially when the girls unearth a cold-case murder. Dakota suspects the case is related to her father’s story, but to learn the truth, she’ll have to keep digging. She’ll have to be smart, and think twice before doing anything reckless. She’ll have to become a new version of herself.
Readers Favorite, in its five starred review, called Under the Family Tree “a riveting, young adult, coming-of-age novel that navigates the tumultuous waters of adolescence, family secrets and the quest for self-identity.”
Gary Feinstein grew up in Connecticut, graduating from William Hall High School, and attending the University of Connecticut where he obtained a BS in Biology. A former small business owner, he currently volunteers for SCORE, where he mentors budding entrepreneurs, and Wesleyan students as part of its start-up incubator program. Currently, he lives in Higganum with his wife and fourteen-year-old dog. His website is: https://www.garyfeinstein.com/
Feinstein will appear at a local young adult authors event at the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore in Middletown on November 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. https://www.rjjulia.com/event/local-author-series-kids-ya
Images above provided by Gary Feinstein
