Set in the Carolinas in the 1940s, this riveting novel of historical fiction from the acclaimed and award-winning author of The Saints of Swallow Hill is a beautifully written, evocative account of a young woman reckoning not just with the unforgiving landscape, but with the rocky emotional terrain that leads from innocence to wisdom.
For fourteen-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family, life in the Appalachian Mountains is simple and satisfying, though not for the tenderhearted. While her older sister, Laciâa mute, musically gifted savantâis constantly watched over and protected, Wallis Ann is as practical and sturdy as her name. When the Tuckasegee River bursts its banks, forcing them to flee in the middle of the night, those qualities save her life. But though her family is eventually reunited, the tragedy opens Wallis Annâs eyes to a world beyond the creek thatâs borne their name for generations.
Carrying whatâs left of their possessions, the Stampers begin another perilous journey from their ruined home to the hill country of South Carolina. Wallis Annâs blossoming friendship with Clayton, a high diving performer for a traveling show, sparks a new opportunity, and the family joins as a singing group. But Claytonâs attention to Laci drives a wedge between the two sisters. As jealousy and betrayal threaten to accomplish what hardship never couldâdivide the family for goodâWallis Ann makes a decision that will transform them all in unforeseeable ways . . .
Set in the Carolinas in the 1940s, this riveting novel of historical fiction from the acclaimed and award-winning author of The Saints of Swallow Hill is a beautifully written, evocative account of a young woman reckoning not just with the unforgiving landscape, but with the rocky emotional terrain that leads from innocence to wisdom.
For fourteen-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family, life in the Appalachian Mountains is simple and satisfying, though not for the tenderhearted. While her older sister, Laciâa mute, musically gifted savantâis constantly watched over and protected, Wallis Ann is as practical and sturdy as her name. When the Tuckasegee River bursts its banks, forcing them to flee in the middle of the night, those qualities save her life. But though her family is eventually reunited, the tragedy opens Wallis Annâs eyes to a world beyond the creek thatâs borne their name for generations.
Carrying whatâs left of their possessions, the Stampers begin another perilous journey from their ruined home to the hill country of South Carolina. Wallis Annâs blossoming friendship with Clayton, a high diving performer for a traveling show, sparks a new opportunity, and the family joins as a singing group. But Claytonâs attention to Laci drives a wedge between the two sisters. As jealousy and betrayal threaten to accomplish what hardship never couldâdivide the family for goodâWallis Ann makes a decision that will transform them all in unforeseeable ways . . .