Fifteen-year-old Theresa Williams has just settled under the oak tree in her front yard to read a book when she notices the boot dangling at eye-level. She knows immediately who the dead man is, hanging in the heavy foliage of the family oak tree. That is, she knows Lawrence’s name, his deep unhappiness, and how he came to live with her and her mother Maxine, a woman who rages at him constantly, inexplicably. But Theresa will learn the truth about Lawrence, when the turmoil that surrounds the mother and daughter explodes.
This book was tremendous and award worthy! I was completely engaged by each of the characters the whole book and had a difficult time putting it down to sleep at night simply because I wanted to know what would happen to the characters involved in the book! Excellent! A must read!
Such a fascinating read, with complex characters (especially Maxine), and an important reminder of the difficulties faced by women not that long ago. I was fortunate to be in a bookclub where the author was gracious with her time and joined us to answer questions and offer her perspective. She was lovely!