SummaryThe latest Southern novel from the acclaimed bestselling
and award-winning author of The Memory of Water.
To most people, Folly Beach, South Carolina, is simply the
last barrier island before the Atlantic. To some, it’s
a sanctuary, which is why Janie Hamilton’s mother
encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly’s
Finds, hoping it will distract Janie from the loss of her
husband in Afghanistan.
Janie is at first resistant, but intrigued after finding
love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a
box of used books from Folly’s Finds, and decides to
take the plunge. The store’s seller insists on one
condition: Janie must allow Lulu, the late owner’s
elderly sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from
its back yard. Historically, bottle trees were brought by
African slaves to the American South, and Janie had grown up
with one in her backyard, and it has always been a symbol of
refuge to her.
Janie generally ignores Lulu as she sifts through the love
letters, wanting to learn more. But the more she discovers
of the letters’ authors, the closer she feels to Lulu.
As details of a possible murder and a mysterious
disappearance during World War II are revealed, the two
women discover that circumstances beyond their control,
sixty years apart, have brought them together, here on Folly
Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find
hope for a second chance...
|