First published 2008
The Hand family women gather in their Southern ancestral home, where decades of tradition weigh heavily on three cousins bound by blood and history. Each woman carries her own burden of controversy and loss, yet their shared strength becomes evident as they face an uncertain future. A distant war creeps closer to their lives, threatening to upend everything they know about their carefully ordered world. The cousins must confront how their privileged position in this Southern dynasty both protects and imprisons them. Their conversations reveal sharp wit alongside deep pain, as they wrestle with choices that will define not just their own futures but the legacy they leave behind. The war may seem far away, but its influence touches every decision they make. Through their eyes, we see how women of means and tradition navigate a changing world that demands they choose between preservation and transformation. This is a story about the price of belonging to something larger than yourself.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, privilege
Setting: South, Southern
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
245 pages · Hardcover · Algonquin Books
Content warnings: war