I have to say, I finished this book Tuesday night (I think...the days have run together) and have not been able to stop thinking about it. That alone tells me its a book worth sharing with all of you! At its heart, its a love story but it plays out against a backdrop of racial tension, redemption and guilt. Its also a mystery. We know from the beginning a few things about Harper Montgomery. We know he participated in the killing of a black man 12 years before the start of this novel. We know that his wife died the night their daughter was born. We know that Maggie, the teenage black girl who appears in Harper's life after a train wreck in Two Rivers, is not necessarily what she seems to be. But what we don't know is the why behind any of it, nor how its all related.
Between the story of Harper's current situation, where he finds himself unwillingly caring for Maggie while simultaneously attempting to raise his own daughter, Shelly, we see flashbacks to Harper's life as a child, teenager and young adult. We learn how he meets Betsy, his wife. We learn of his relationships with his friends, one of which ultimately commits the murder that has haunted Harper for so long. We see how his mother's choice to follow her own heart during the Civil Rights Movement ultimately alters Harper's life in a way it seems he cannot recover from. And while, at times, you wanted to reach through the pages and strangle Harper Montgomery for his selfishness and small town ways, by the end of the novel, you've forgiven him. You relate to him. You have hope for him to find happiness again. Altogether, its a great novel that will stay with you long after you put it down. The nuances of the story stay with you in a way that few other books, for me at least, have.
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