First published 1995
Marie Fermoyle struggles to raise her children alone after her alcoholic husband left them with nothing. When smooth-talking Omar Duvall arrives in town promising easy money, Marie sees a chance to escape their poverty. She desperately wants to believe his schemes will transform their shabby life into something better. Her children watch as their mother gets pulled deeper into Omar's web of lies and false promises. The family has little defense against a practiced manipulator who knows exactly how to exploit their vulnerabilities. Marie's trust and her children's hopes collide with the harsh reality of Omar's true intentions. Morris reveals how desperation can make people believe what they need to hear, even when the cost threatens to destroy what little they have left.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: desperation, exploitation, false-promises
Setting: United States
Period: 20th Century
752 pages · Hardcover · Viking
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse