The Road from Gap Creek

Robert Morgan returns to his bestselling Gap Creek characters, the Richards family, as well as the Peace family from his earlier Appalachian story, The Truest Pleasure. Annie, the daughter of Gap Creek’s Julie and Hank, is married to Muir Peace, but her younger brother Troy and his dog, Old Pat, are closest to her affections. In Morgan’s world, nothing loved the way Troy and Old Pat are loved can escape tragedy for long, but the pair possesses an intelligence and curiosity that captivate; art, ambition and healing enter the Richards house through their bond. While Troy’s work produces admiration and opportunity, Muir’s work often leads to humiliation; he lays the foundation for an ill-fated stone church on a mountaintop that mirrors his dream of becoming a preacher. As in Gap Creek, Morgan reserves his harshest blows for Julie; after her brutal early years she has forced some beauty and satisfaction into her home, but more bitter loss is in store for her. Annie is granted a kinder fate; as she agrees to marry Muir, she says: “I saw how hard it would be, and I didn’t care,” and in the end, Annie’s own road grows smoother. (Aug.)