Starred review from May 1, 2005
With her husband, Beau, busy on a big case and her son away at Vanderbilt, Meridy McFadden Dresden finds herself at loose ends. So when she is asked by a private school to develop a curriculum on the Gullah for Culture Week, Meridy returns to her hometown of Seaboro to do the research, which includes interviewing the family's former housekeeper, Tulu. Soon, these conversations, meant to be a foundation for the curriculum, become lessons in life. Meridy has a dreadful secret, and she knows that if anyone finds out, it could destroy her marriage, not to mention her mother's standing in the community. But if Meridy doesn't face her past, her secret might destroy her. As in Henry's debut, " Losing the Moon " [BKL My 1 04], and this beautifully written story, the sheer lyricism of the author's voice transports the reader. Fans of such books as Mary Alice Monroe's " Skyward" (2003), also about the Gullah, and Patricia Gaffney's " Flight Lessons" (2002) will add this book to their list of favorites. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)