The Williams family returns to Eulalia, Georgia, for the funeral of their beloved patriarch. When a secret is revealed during the eulogy, the family is left reeling: If their grandparents perfect marriage was anything but, what hope do they have of finding love?
Readers will experience the nuances of their individual grief as they process their losses, in the midst of anger and dismay at the recent surprises about a man they all loved deeply.
Delightful and perceptive ... Like a stone skipped across water, Shook flits seamlessly from one character to the next, and remarkably, all emerge as three-dimensional characters. Even with its many strands of plot, the novel never feels rushed, and Shook sprinkles some wild surprises into the goings-on. Readers will find plenty to savor.
Shook is juggling a lot of balls here, and in a tight space ... It's hard to keep the characters straight at first, but by the time they've finished the neighbor-donated casseroles and talked it all out, you're engaged and rooting for them. Also occasionally irritated, but that's what relatives are for.
