Alyson Richman

Alyson Richman writes American novels concerned with memory, art, family, and the lasting effects of history. The Secret of Clouds, published by Berkley in 2019, is her first contemporary novel after several works of historical fiction. It centers on Maggie, a teacher asked to tutor Yuri, a homebound student whose rare health condition separates him from school life. Yuri's parents, Katya and Sasha, carry memories of Kyiv and the Chernobyl disaster into their life in the United States, while Maggie brings unresolved experiences from her own childhood. Reading, writing, baseball, and regular lessons gradually create trust between teacher and student. Richman uses that bond to examine how education can become an exchange rather than a one way act of instruction. The novel also reflects her continuing interest in how private lives are shaped by events that happened years earlier. The 2019 Berkley edition places this intimate school and family story clearly within Richman's broader body of work.