Genre: Literary Fiction
Description:
“Life has been good in the old Prather house on the bluff overlooking
Singleton’s Branch. Then the second ‘once in a hundred years’ flood in a decade
brings changes that will affect the Prather family for years to come. Lacy, who
sees beauty wherever she looks and expects others to be as good as she is, can
no longer count on her big brother to protect her from an abusive husband, and
the family learns a hard truth: No one is immune to the quirks of fate, be they
blessings or tragedies, and the river takes more than it gives.”
Author:
“Robert Hays is the author of six previous novels and a book of short
stories and has written, edited, or collaborated on a half–dozen works of
non–fiction. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and he has
published numerous academic journal and popular periodical articles. Selections
from three of his novels have gained Pushcart Prize nominations. He is a U.S.
Army veteran and, though retired from classroom teaching, holds professor
emeritus rank on the faculty of the University of Illinois. He lives in the
beautiful southern Illinois wooded hill country about which he often writes.”
Appraisal:
I found this story interesting and engaging for a couple different
reasons. It tells the story of a family over several decades, with more than a
few times of crisis and conflict that keep the reader engaged as the family
members deal with these issues. (If everything went perfect, it would have been
boring, right?) However, along with the obvious story I found myself thinking
about a few other things that the story seems to be setting up. One is family
and how a family’s relationships evolve and change over time. Of course, I
found myself thinking about my own family relationships and comparing them to
the Prather family. The other thing I found myself pondering was the house that
the book is named after and how it made the family members feel they had roots
in that community. Any book that gets me thinking, comparing my life to those
of the characters, understanding the similarities or helping me to better grasp
the reasons people are different is a book I can appreciate and enjoy.
Buy now
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Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words
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