Before John was born, his parents were young and full of promise.
Rick fell in love with Patrice’s brilliance and ambition, and together they imagined a life that would begin later. But when Patrice becomes pregnant, everything accelerates—and fractures. As her behavior grows increasingly erratic, Rick does what he can to hold the family together, but love and good intentions prove no match for an illness left unnamed.
John and his brother grown up in those shadows.
Years later, high school graduation feels like freedom. A road trip with friends and the hope of a new relationship offer John a clean break from the past he’s never fully confronted. But after a devastating accident, a long-buried family secret surfaces that devastate John. He leaves for college determined to sever ties with the family he associates only with damage and loss.
Until his brother calls to relay the news their father has died.
Back in the town—and the house—that shaped him, John is forced to face the memories he spent a year outrunning. Grief, guilt, and unanswered questions collide as Patrice refuses to As reality blurs and old wounds reopen, John must confront the most unsettling question of all:
Can we ever truly forgive and forget—or do we simply become what we were raised to survive?
When Camille Holmes left her husband, Nick, it came as quite a shock to her friends Kate and Tara. Kate Collins spent the following year questioning if they were ever as close as she thought, especially considering their husbands had been like brothers for well over a decade.
Nick was unable to cope with the loss and decided to move away and rebuild his life without her. However, Kate and Tara did not expect that when he returned, it would be with a new wife and children.
As Gwen, worked to connect with Nick’s friends, she never expected to be a part of the shocking discovery of a woman buried beneath Tara’s home. And nobody expected the body to be none other than Camille’s.
The news of Camille’s murder rattles everyone as the investigation begins. Now, the question shifts from why did Camille leave to who killed her?
Clementine Ryan never planned to murder her husband. In fact, she learned early in life that making plans would guarantee disappointment.
With no one left to silence her, Clementine feels that it’s time to uncover her long buried secrets and tell her niece and nephew the truth behind their uncle’s death.
The Shape of a Southern Woman explores the redemptive power of story-telling and weaves together emotional snapshots of a distinctive place and time. Clem’s story bends the preconceived assumptions and judgments of southern women and culture while exposing the gray areas of compassion, empathy and the harsh realities of a girl coming of age and shedding her innocence.