Dreams of Falling

White (The Night the Lights Went Out) transports readers to the South Carolina low country, where a storm gathering over the small town of Georgetown erupts into a whirlwind of tragedy, betrayal, and heartbreak. Larkin Lanier, a New York City copywriter seeking to escape her past, is forced back to her hometown when she receives a call that her mother, Ivy, is missing. Ivy has been looking for information surrounding the death of her estranged mother, Margaret Darlington, and the old ruined house that is her family’s legacy. At the heart of the mystery behind the burned-out house are the women who had been like family to Ivy and Larkin, Margaret’s two best friends, Ceecee and Bitty. When Larkin returns home, she picks up where her mother left off and works to untangle the secrets that had been plaguing Ivy. The narrative weaves together Larkin’s story with flashbacks to the summer that changed the lives and friendships of Margaret, Ceecee, and Bitty. Larkin’s nostalgia for Georgetown and the people she left behind manage to charm her into staying much longer than she anticipated as she digs up old secrets and learns to forgive. White’s lovely tale of enduring friendship brings coastal South Carolina to life and examines the redemptive powers of love and loss. (June)