About the Book
New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women’s fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.
On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree’s trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping–including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.
But life can waylay the best of intentions….
Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads–and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.
Ivy, Larkin’s mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years–whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal–that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.
My Review
Karen White has been a favorite author of mine for quite some time, and I can rarely pass up an opportunity to read her novels. Set in the South and changing between the 1950s and present day, a beautiful, complicated, heart-breaking and addictive story unfolds. There is a bit of mystery and suspense at play as well, and I quickly devoured this book in two short days. As a fan of friendship fiction it was fascinating to see the bond between three women in the book, and the lengths they went for one another. We have a lot of women to follow and it could seem easy to get lost between the change of timelines, the generations of women and all the secrets that were kept, but each character (even secondary) are well-crafted and unique throughout. A terrific read that I highly recommend for your summer TBR.
5 stars
