When Eli reenters Jo’s life thirty years after the two lived
together as part of a 60s commune, she is forced to confront her past and that
one summer where she threw off the shackles of her first marriage for the
freedom of youth. The experience proved eye-opening, but ended tragically with
the murder of another roommate and her closest friend in the house, Dana. We
jump forward thirty years, and Jo is a wife, a mother (with three grown daughters)
and veterinarian. Eli’s entrance into her life sparks a wistful longing for her
youth, and his presence tempts her to commit adultery.
The conflict of Jo trying to manage a longing to reach back
in time while maintaining her grasp on the family life she’s built drives the
book. The mystery of Dana’s death haunts it.
Ultimately, this book delivers a gripping tale. All of us
look fondly back upon different times of our lives, and sometimes long to
return to those days. When we get a glimpse, usually through the return of
someone from that time period, it often muddles our present. The questions of
this book is what should be forgiven, and who holds that power of forgiveness? And
if the answer to the second question is you or I, would we have that power
within our being?
Up Next: North Toward Home by Willie Morris
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