Architect, Kayla Carter, is almost ready to move into the dream home she and her husband designed, but the move has become painful, because her husband died in an accident in the house. However, she can’t bear to sell the house, a reminder of how they planned and worked together. She’s also concerned about malicious incidents that have plagued the construction and is worried about how to keep her three-year-old daughter safe.
Ellie Hockley is Kayla’s neighbor. She grew up on the street, but in 1965, defying her parents, she spent the summer as a volunteer registering black voters. The experience opened her eyes to the plight of marginalized people, and she decided to devote her life to it. She hasn’t been home since that summer, but now her mother and brother are ill and she’s back.
Both women have faced heartbreak and their stories draw you into the tragedy. The tension rises when Kayla is visited by a red-haired woman who warns her of tragedy if she moves in telling her the site is haunted. Ellie befriends, Kayla, and tries to help her through the transition. However, the events remind Ellie of all she lost the summer she left home for good.
The story toggles back and forth between 2010 and 1965. Both stories are poignant, but Ellie’s is the harder one to read. It focuses on terrible abuses that happened in the South during the Civil Rights Era. The characters are both strong women. They face their trials with courage and dignity. The book is well worth reading particularly since it highlights a tragic period in our history.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
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