The Fabled Earth

Brock (The River Witch) delivers an evocative Southern yarn of long-held secrets. In summer 1932, Georgia’s Cumberland Island comes to life in 1932 with an annual party at the grand mansion owned by the philanthropist Carnegie family. Joanna Burton, a socialite from Asheville, N.C., is in town to attend the party with her fiancé, wealthy islander Ellis Piedmont, and her beauty and selfish airs fuel the jealousy and anger of local artist Cleo Woodbine, who’s in love with Ellis. By the end of the night, two boys have accidentally drowned, including Ellis. In chapters set in 1959 from Cleo’s point of view, shortly after Joanna has died from a stroke, Brock gradually reveals how the women’s rivalry contributed to the fatal accident. A parallel narrative follows Joanna’s daughter, Frances Flood, who returns to the island to learn more about her late mother’s life and retrieve her heirloom pearls. Brock’s insightful writing brings her characters to life, highlighting Cleo’s regret and Frances’s curiosity, and the pitch-perfect plotting will move readers quickly through the tale. It’s an adroit work of Southern fiction. Agent: Danielle Egan Miller, Browne & Miller Literary. (Oct.)