First published 1964
Jackson steps off the bus in rural Louisiana after a decade in San Francisco. He has come back to see Aunt Charlotte, the woman who made his education possible. The familiar countryside looks the same, but everything feels different. His family treats him like a stranger. Old friends no longer know what to say to him. The ten years away have created a gulf that words cannot bridge. Then Jackson meets Catherine Carmier. She draws him in despite the complicated tensions that divide their community. Blacks, Cajuns, and whites live side by side in this corner of Louisiana, but their coexistence remains fragile. Jackson's growing feelings for Catherine threaten to upset delicate balances. His return has already stirred up old resentments. Now his heart pulls him toward a woman whose love could cost him everything. The quiet countryside holds conflicts that run deeper than Jackson remembered.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, family-drama, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forbidden-love
Setting: Louisiana, San Francisco
Period: 20th-century
248 pages · Loose Leaf · Atheneum