This is such a sad story. So many times the characters in this story work hard to rise above their circumstances and make a better life for themselves and their family only to be knocked down again. It's a sad novel, but a strong one. These people live in a world where being weak is not allowed.
The overwhelming theme of this novel is the strength and endurance of the characters. No matter what happens, they strive to overcome and survive. Even a deeply saddening event, while horrific in the telling, occurs to help ensure the safety of others. These people don't think twice about stepping up and doing what needs to be done. They depend on each other and their wits to survive.
A deeply gripping novel with a strong sense of place and time that you don't want to miss.
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Mother of RainAuthor: Karen Spears Zacharias
Publisher: Mercer University Press
Publication Date: September 4, 2013
Book Description:
"Maizee Hurd was an easy target for hard times," according to Burdy
Luttrell, the town healer. Burdy is a Melungeon woman with striking
features and mysterious ways who owns the land the Hurds leased
following their marriage on June 3, 1940.
Maizee moved upriver at the age of ten after tragedy struck, and she was sent off to be raised by a childless aunt and her doctor husband. Shortly after Maizee's arrival in the rural mountain community of Christian Bend--carrying only a small suitcase, her mama's Bible, and her doll Hitty--the young girl began hearing voices.
It was the tender love of her husband Zeb and their shared passion for the Appalachian hills and rivers of East Tennessee that helped quiet the voices. But, as Zeb prepares for deployment, Maizee's life is rocked by the ripples of World War II. Despite the love that carried her through the birth of their son, Rain, and the boy's subsequent illness that rendered him deaf, Maizee can't silence the demons in her own head.