Martin Owenby currently lives in New York City, having escaped the place of his childhood, Solace Forks, North Carolina. He is an unsuccessful writer, drinks heavily, and has meaningless relationships with various men. Martin is forced to return home to his family when his brother, Leon, goes missing. Bringing the Owenby siblings together again causes them to confront their past, and even present.

The author effortlessly weaves the past within the present story, showing how characters have been shaped and how they have come to be who they are in the present. Martin, a gay man who left his best friend Liza, the woman who loved him. Ivy, who sees ghosts and has been mourning the suicide of her son for twenty years. Bertie, Martin’s sister-in-law, who left her husband James for a three-day affair, who came back pregnant. And then there are the siblings’ children and friends who contribute their part to the story as well.

While I wouldn’t call this book a mystery, there was the question of what happened to Leon as well as the individual mysteries of the past. It is definitely a haunting, and even somewhat dark, family drama.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. Initially, I did find it difficult to really get into it. It just didn’t capture my attention and I really didn’t want to read about “mountain people.” And keeping a written family tree and or cast of characters would have been helpful in the beginning as well. That being said, about a third of the way into it, I became engrossed with finding out what really did happen to Leon, as well as what happened during the past of the other characters that caused them to be who they were. I didn’t like all the characters, but that’s definitely a sign of a good story. Also, reading this book was almost reminiscent of some of the required reading from high school. In a few years, I believe it is very likely that this novel with be considered a true piece of literature.