“I loved following the moving story of Maggie and Chip, two characters I won't be forgetting anytime soon. The Top of the World is a pleasure to read from start to finish.”
—Liz Moore, author of The God of the Woods
THE TOP OF THE WORLD
Coming June 30, 2026 from Scribner
A heartbreaking, life-affirming new novel by Ethan Joella—author of the Read with Jenna Bonus Pick A Little Hope—about a young woman searching for answers about her brother’s last days.
June 1975. Maggie Bishop has just graduated high school, the future hers to embrace, but she’s still reeling from the death of her older brother, Chip. A devastating diagnosis the summer before prompted Chip to leave home for a few months, never revealing where he went. Maggie’s search for clues leads her to The Red Maple Inn, a mountaintop resort in the Poconos.
“An immensely affecting novel about living with zeal and approaching life's end on one’s own terms, The Top of the World gifted me both courage and comfort.”
—Megha Majumdar, author of A Guardian and a Thief and A Burning
"Joella has an eye and ear for suburban pathos."
–BOOKLIST
“Wonderfully observed and immensely touching.“
–Ashley Audrain, The Push
“Once again, Joella’s characters are as real as they come.”
—BookPage
Three generations of Schmidts have run their family’s namesake beachfront restaurant and Jack has been at the helm since the death of his father. Jack puts the demands of the restaurant above all else. He can't remember the last time he sat on the beach or even enjoyed a moment to himself…
“With his story of family, grief, legacy, and perseverance, Joella has crafted a sensational summer read. I will forever feel lucky to encounter (and yes, unabashedly weep over!) anything Joella writes.”
BECKY CHALSEN, author of Kismet
From the author of A Little Hope—a Read with Jenna Bonus Pick—comes an enormously powerful and life-affirming novel about three individuals facing challenges and grappling with loss in his or her own way.
"Ethan Joella’s latest novel reminds us that life is made of journeys, not only destinations."
Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake
A deeply moving, life-affirming novel about residents in a small Connecticut town facing everyday fears and desires—a lost love, a stalled career, a diagnosis—that pulls at the heartstrings and provides hope, for readers of Olive Kitteridge.