Jessa Hastings, celebrated for her emotionally intricate Magnolia Parks series, returns with another emotionally piercing novel in The Conditions of Will. This stand-alone literary fiction with romantic overtones and psychological depth tells a story of estranged families, forbidden connections, and buried truths. Set between the refined atmosphere of London and the emotionally fraught South Carolina of its protagonist’s childhood, the novel spins a taut narrative that is as observant as it is vulnerable.
Hastings continues to expand her reputation for complex character work and emotionally charged dialogue, but here she evolves further—demonstrating a keener sense of emotional subtlety and narrative restraint.
A Premise Built on Tension and Truth
Georgia Carter is not a typical heroine. A professional lie-detector, trained in the nuances of body language and human behavior, she’s someone who reads people for a living but can’t seem to connect meaningfully with her own kin. The sudden death of her father summons her back to South Carolina—a place she fled from after severing ties with her conservative, emotionally distant family. Her only tether to them is her brother Caleb, a recovering alcoholic whose relationship with Georgia is fraught with both affection and caution.
The narrative is jolted into motion when Georgia encounters Sam Penny—her brother’s AA sponsor. There is immediate chemistry between them, but also emotional complication: Caleb is in love with Sam too. What ensues is not a love triangle in the traditional sense, but an exploration of loyalty, grief, intimacy, and unspoken histories. To complicate matters further, the reading of her father’s will reveals a mysterious bequest to a stranger, triggering a cascade of revelations that force Georgia to apply her observational skills in the one arena where she feels most blind—her own family.
Characters that Live in the Margins of Pain
What Hastings does remarkably well is create characters that are both broken and believable. Georgia’s ability to read microexpressions contrasts with her emotional blindness—her intellect constantly undermined by her unresolved trauma. Sam, with his quiet strength and moral backbone, becomes a mirror through which both siblings must confront their truths.
Supporting characters like:
- Caleb, whose internalized shame and addiction recovery journey ground the emotional stakes
- Georgia’s emotionally manipulative mother and distant siblings
- The enigmatic stranger connected to the will
…are all portrayed with sufficient nuance, avoiding caricature while maintaining thematic integrity.
Central Themes: Estrangement, Identity, and Emotional Inheritance
The Conditions of Will delves into several thematic undercurrents that elevate it from a conventional romantic or family drama:
1. Emotional Estrangement vs. Genetic Bond
Hastings masterfully interrogates the idea that family does not guarantee intimacy. Georgia and Caleb are close because they’re both outliers, bonded through their rejection.
2. Queerness and Conditional Love
Caleb’s experience as a gay man in a rigid Southern household forms a central spine of the novel’s emotional architecture. The quiet but sharp tension around his identity illustrates how homophobia festers within familial silence.
3. Inheritance Beyond Wealth
The title itself—The Conditions of Will—acts as a double entendre. It’s not just about the legal document but also about the emotional “conditions” required to continue living, forgiving, and loving. The father’s will becomes the stage where old grudges meet startling revelations.
4. The Limits of Perception
Georgia’s lie-detection skills fail her precisely when it matters most—proving that knowing how someone behaves is not the same as knowing what they feel.
Hastings’ Writing Style: Lyrical, Observant, Yet Grounded
Fans of Magnolia Parks will notice familiar stylistic flourishes—Jessa Hastings writes in a voice that is lyrical without being ornate, observational without being cold. In The Conditions of Will, however, she displays greater narrative discipline. The prose is punctuated with moments of raw, dialogic vulnerability, particularly between Georgia and Sam.
Hastings uses silence and subtext as well as she does overt emotion. She allows tension to simmer beneath conversations, trusting readers to sense it rather than spelling everything out—a mark of her growing narrative maturity.
Strengths of the Novel
- Authentic Emotional Complexity: There are no quick resolutions or overly tidy reconciliations here. Hastings respects the messiness of family and personal history.
- Balanced Dual Settings: The juxtaposition between Georgia’s London life and the Southern U.S. setting sharpens the contrasts in her emotional landscape.
- Mature Romantic Development: The romance between Georgia and Sam isn’t a whirlwind; it’s a quiet burn that must navigate grief, ethical boundaries, and competing loyalties.
- Deep Thematic Resonance: Hastings challenges readers to consider what we inherit emotionally—not just genetically or materially.
Points of Critique
While The Conditions of Will is a striking novel in many ways, it is not without flaws:
- Some Supporting Characters Remain Underdeveloped: While Caleb is nuanced, other siblings occasionally feel like placeholders for thematic points rather than fully fleshed individuals.
- Slower Pacing in the Middle Third: A chunk of the narrative drifts slightly before the will’s revelations refocus the plot. This lull may frustrate readers looking for more plot-driven momentum.
- Emotional Restraint Can Feel Distant: Hastings’ strength is subtext and slow-burn emotion, but at times this restraint borders on detachment. Some scenes that beg for catharsis are left too muted.
Who Should Read This?
The Conditions of Will will appeal to:
- Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Dolly Alderton, who enjoy emotional introspection paired with layered family drama.
- Readers who appreciated the emotional tension of Normal People by Sally Rooney.
- Anyone who loves literary fiction with romantic elements and explorations of queer identity, familial duty, and psychological observation.
How It Compares to Magnolia Parks
While Magnolia Parks thrives in high emotion, social drama, and youthful chaos, The Conditions of Will is more mature and introspective. It marks an evolution in Hastings’ voice—less concerned with romantic drama for its own sake and more focused on emotional excavation.
Fans of Hastings will recognize her knack for romantic tension and moral grayness, but they will also be surprised—and likely moved—by her willingness to slow the pace, let characters sit with discomfort, and resist simple closure.
Final Verdict:
The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings is a beautifully written, emotionally complex exploration of what it means to reconcile the past without betraying the present. It’s not a book that seeks to dazzle with plot twists, but rather to unfold its characters carefully, respectfully, and with a palpable sense of emotional truth.
While minor pacing issues and some thin secondary characters hold it back from perfection, it remains an exceptional piece of literary fiction that confirms Hastings’ standing as a rising voice with depth and vision.
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
- Family secrets unraveled through intelligent prose
- Queer storylines interwoven with dignity and empathy
- Slow-burn romantic tension grounded in ethical conflict
- Literary fiction that doesn’t sacrifice emotional accessibility
Similar Books You Might Like:
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
- Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
