Esther, a teacher at the local college, lives at home with her elderly parents in the town she grew up in. Her drive to work takes her past the cemetery where her brother is buried. That drive is both comforting and troubling to her, for Esther spends much of her time thinking about the past: the men in her life (brother, first love, ex-husband), the parental advice she ignored, and how her town has and hasn’t changed. Esther’s life has stalled out, until one day when she notices an attractive man tending the cemetery lawn. Tentatively, Esther begins to make changes in her life, making room in her heart for someone new.
This is the second novel by Ms. Duncan set in fictional Milton, based on Marion in McDowell County (not to be confused with the real Milton, N.C., which is in Caswell County).
Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.
