I received this book from Netgalley, I requested it.

Lila Bruce Breedlove came from the small southern town of Wesleyan, Georgia. As a young girl, her father died while away at war. She, her brother Henry, and younger sister Abigail are all raised by their mother. Lila and Henry notice that their mother never seems to have time for them and doesn’t care about them. As soon as they graduate, Lila and Bruce leave Wesleyan and make lives for themselves far away from Georgia.

The one person Geneva can tolerate is Lila and Henry’s sister, Abigail. She and Geneva say that they are best friends. After a disappointing marriage, Abigail returns to her hometown. She takes care of Geneva when necessary. Geneva continues to live alone in the family house with Abigail a short drive away. Poor Abigail finds their mother dead halfway in the muscadine arbor. There are no signs of foul play and it is believed that Geneva died from natural causes. Reluctantly, Lila, and Henry return home. As they sift through their mother’s belongings in her house, they hope to find some answer as to why their mother treated their sister Abigail as a best friend and could barely look at them. Both Henry and Lila seem to favor their father, perhaps it was too painful for their mother to see reminders of her departed husband. Deep down, Lila feels there must be more.

After uncovering new information from family discussions, Henry and Lila believe there’s a possibility that their father is alive. Seeing how they miss their father and need answers to their mother’s behavior, you hope they will find their father and get some answers instead of finding more questions. Families can sure complicate life, can’t they?

I really enjoyed the characters in this novel. They were easy to picture and certainly have characteristics seen in the South. The impact of the children losing their father at an early age certainly shapes their actions and behaviors. Pamela Terry manages to bring all the craziness of a death and funeral into focus as Lila, Henry, and Abigail all find the peace they need to move forward. There is no magic moment of clarity, but each character sees their way forward.

This is a very emotionally charged book. It compassionately examines the struggles of a family as they move forward after the unexpected loss of a parent. This is an excellent story by a new writer. I look forward to her next release!

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Additional thoughts: Secrets can change a family. Are the secrets ever truly safe? It is sad that people have to hide things away and even sadder when a life is impacted adversely because of it.