The rural South is once again the backdrop in a novel by Haynes (Chalktown; the Oprah pick Mother of Pearl), this one a generous, darkly comic tale of homecoming and family strife. Set in the 1970s, the book focuses on Willem Fremont—a man in his 70s with a panic disorder so extreme that he is panicked by the sight of a cardboard sign turning in the wind. As an anxious Willem drives from Colorado to his family's land in Purvis, Miss., the readers meet the Till family, who own the land next to Willem's. Eilene Till is so unhappy with her life and her grown sons that she pretends to be deaf, especially around her obese youngest son, Sonny, whom she dislikes greatly. Bruno, her eldest son, must wear a brace as the result of a Vietnam spinal injury and is perpetually depressed. His wife, Leah, has taken over the farming duties and is searching for a missing cow when she falls into a sinkhole and finds not only her cow but a house and artesian well that make her feel as if she's discovered her own private world. When Willem finally reaches Purvis, he rediscovers his land and the sinkhole that almost swallowed him as a teen. He also discovers Eilene Till, who intrigues, frustrates and eventually charms him. When Willem faces the biggest crisis of his life, the Till family is forced to confront its problems and reunite in order to try to save Willem from himself. Haynes poignantly captures the isolated farm life of Purvis and the loneliness each main character feels. She also smartly portrays secondary characters, like Leah's dejected mother, Dora, and Alyce, a sweetly intriguing single mother. The result is a carefully crafted, moving novel, infused with wry humor and attuned to the rhythms of country life. (May 5)
