by Gail Godwin
First published 1988
Clare Campion comes back to her North Carolina hometown after years away, drawn by family obligations she cannot escape. Her mother Lily holds court in the old family house, spinning stories and maintaining appearances while the foundations crack beneath them. Clare's siblings carry their own wounds and resentments from childhood, each responding differently to the weight of Southern expectations and family mythology. As Clare navigates the familiar rhythms of home, she confronts the gap between the stories her family tells about itself and the messier reality of their shared history. The past intrudes on every conversation, every meal, every moment of supposed peace. Clare must decide whether to remain trapped by old patterns or forge a path that honors both her roots and her need for independence.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, fish-out-of-water
Setting: North Carolina
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
544 pages · Paperback · Pan