I was vaguely disappointed at the end. Expected more of something.
***
Booklist Review: Mayes, author of the very popular nonfiction accounts Under the Tuscan Sun (1996) and Bella Tuscan (1999), grounds her first novel in her childhood home of Georgia. The small town of Swan, chartered by John Mason and reigned over by his son, Big Jim, was rocked by the suicide in 1956 of Catherine Mason, wife of Big Jim's doctor son, Wills, and mother of 14-year-old J. J and 12-year-old Ginger, who found her mother's body. When Catherine's grave is desecrated and her body exhumed 19 years later, the event turns from tragic to cathartic when an investigation shows that she was murdered, lifting the pall of shame, anger, guilt, and fear from her family. J. J and Ginger had kept a close bond even though their lives had taken different directions; loner J. J., a mostly absent property manager, lives in the family cabin, fishing, hunting, and keeping journals, while Ginger, after a failed marriage and many rootless years, found a love of archaeology. Set during eight days in July 1975, the narrative adroitly flashes back to uncover history (including long-held secrets) and reveal characters--to themselves and each other. With a memorable, full-bodied cast and an evocative sense of place, this is a surefire best-seller.
(Reviewed September 1, 2002) -- Michele Leber ( )