The Clam Shell

by Mary Lee Settle

Searching for an escape from mediocrity, the young heroine of The Clam Shell leaves her hometown of Canona, West Virginia, and enters a Southern women's college. She is not destined for a safe path, however, and her violent awakening comes in the form of a brutal sexual assault through which she ultimately discovers her own hidden strength. Set in 1936, The Clam Shell continues the mesmerizing story Settle began in The Love Eaters.

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 1971

About the author

Graduate of Sweet Briar College. Winner of the National Book Award in 1978 for Blood Tie.