At first I though this would be a fluff piece of life as viewed by a wealthy old woman living in the past, but soon I was hooked. I was intrigued because I saw some personality similarities between my great aunt and the narrator Judith Kraft.

I had falsely assumed this was another fluffy, eccentric southern story of family lore, heirlooms, secrets, murder, power, greed and denial. As with many family histories this lore, family legacy is built on hard work, deceit and supremacy, though usually only the story of hard work is what is passed down the family tree. At times Judith naive and other times she is a willfully unreliable narrator. The greatest lie is intentionally ignoring the truth.

I read this one in two days. I enjoyed the story and how Andrea Bobotus unraveled the layers.

Life is a series of loves and losses that sometimes overlap. This is a beautifully written short story. It is perfect for reading in the heat of summer and remembering your childhood adventures with you BFF and thinking about what did and do not change over the years.

I enjoy everything Alice writes. She is a master of her craft.

Last week I wrote about Saint X. This week I started watching The White Lotus on HBO Max and I am loving it. It is a variation on the theme of guests at an exclusive resort. The first scene lets the viewer know that someone is not coming home alive. Now we sit back and watch the facades fall and the story unfold. I highly recommend this show and the book.