First published 2016
Millie Reynolds watches the Gypsy caravans roll through her Mississippi town each spring, dreaming of escape from the violence that defines her home. Her father's rage and her mother's weakness trap her in a cycle that has plagued generations of her family. The Depression weighs heavy on everyone, but Millie carries burdens that go deeper than economic hardship. When the traveling Gypsies offer her guidance, they lead her to discover a key that opens a box filled with her family's buried secrets. These revelations give Millie the understanding she needs to break free from the patterns of madness and cruelty that have shaped her bloodline. As tragedy tests her resolve and first love awakens new feelings, Millie must decide whether to trust in forgiveness and faith, even when God seems absent from her world.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, abuse, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Mississippi
Period: The Depression
352 pages · Paperback · Thomas Nelson
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, physical-abuse