Tildy Sullivan is the middle child in an elite yet fading Manhattan family. Her quiet practicality hides her deep, profound longing for childhood summers in western Ireland. She also carries a secret regret. After her mother’s death 8 years ago, she was persuaded to abandon Ireland and the love of a local boy. Now she believes happiness is lost to her. When Tildy volunteers for a lucid dreaming experiment, it gives her all she wants – a life lived for her family during the day and a secret, perfect Ireland of her own at night. Will she face reality, or succumb to the ease of her dreams? THE STATES is a modern reimagining of Jane Austen’s Persuasion , a story of love, obligation, and second chances. "A beautiful and thoughtful modernization of Jane Austen's Persuasion that explores a modern heroine's discovery of the difference between fantasy and agency." - I ndieReader "An inventive novel about wishes and regret." - Kirkus "Woodsey's writing style is engaging, and her characters are relatable, making the book a joy to read from start to finish." - Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Review "Eloquent and alluring, The States is a novel in which dreams crash into lived realities." - Foreword Reviews Norah Woodsey is the author of THE STATES, THE CONTROL PROBLEM, the novella WHEN THE WAVE COLLAPSES and LIFELESS. After short careers in finance and tech, she has dedicated herself to creating fiction. Her subjects of intense interest but not quite expertise include history, physics, genetics, sociology and gender studies. A fourth generation Brooklynite, she now lives in California with her family.