by Tim Tharp
First published 2001
Donna Bless can barely stand upright most days. The violent loss of her husband has sent her spiraling into a bottle, and her two young sons have learned to take care of themselves while she drinks away what remains of her old life. The boys watch their mother stumble through empty routines, waiting for something to change. When Roy Dale appears, he talks big and acts the gentleman, offering Donna what looks like rescue. But Roy Dale carries his own damage, and his promises ring hollow. The boys sense the danger their mother cannot see. Set among the wreckage of sixties dreams, this story follows a family coming apart and searching for a way back to each other. Tharp builds toward the question of whether broken people can find their way to something better.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: broken-people, found-family
Setting: Africa
Period: 1960s
256 pages · Paperback · Milkweed Editions
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, domestic-violence