First published 1993
Lord Byron Jones runs the most successful Black funeral home in Somerton, Tennessee. When he decides to divorce his unfaithful young wife, the decision sets off a chain of events that will destroy lives across racial lines. His wife has been having an affair with a white police officer, and Jones wants to name the man in court. The white establishment pressures Jones to keep quiet, while the Black community watches to see if he will stand his ground. His lawyer, a white man trying to do right, finds himself caught between conscience and survival. As the case moves forward, violence simmers beneath the surface of this small Southern town. The choice Jones faces goes beyond his marriage to something deeper about dignity, justice, and the price of speaking truth in a place where such honesty can be deadly.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conscience-vs-survival, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Somerton, Tennessee
Period: 20th Century
384 pages · Paperback · Univ of Georgia Pr
Content warnings: racism, violence