The Book of Polly: A Novel

Ten-year-old Willow Havens is preoccupied with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous Southern woman in her late seventies who enjoys shooting varmints, drinking margaritas, and antagonizing her neighbors in their small Texas town. Willow was born when Polly was in her late fifties—an unexpected late-life child. With her father deceased before her birth and her older siblings long gone, Willow lives alone with her larger-than-life mother. Willow desperately wants to understand her family's history, but Polly guards her secrets closely. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana fifty years ago and swear never to return after a mysterious and terrible incident? Who was Garland Jones, a long-ago suitor possibly involved in a man's death? When an illness called The Bear forces Polly to confront her past, mother and daughter embark on a final journey back to Bethel. This novel explores the relationship between a quirky mother and daughter, blending humor with sadness as they navigate love, family secrets, and the grip of the past.