In 2018, Morgan Christopher is released from a North Carolina prison on the condition that she restores a massive, crumbling mural in the quiet town of Edenton. As she strips away layers of grime, she uncovers the 1940 history of the original artist, Anna Post. Anna was a young woman from New Jersey who won a federal art commission during the Jim Crow era, only to face intense local hostility and the pressure of hiding secrets within her work. The narrative toggles between Morgan’s modern struggle with addiction and Anna’s historical disappearance, eventually revealing how the mural’s hidden symbols document a decades-old crime involving racial prejudice and small-town corruption.
This novel serves readers who enjoy dual-timeline mysteries and Southern grit. It appeals to those interested in the intersection of public art and social justice, particularly the Post-Depression mural projects. Readers gain an understanding of how historical trauma stays embedded in a community's landscape. By the end, the reader sees how unearthing the truth about a person’s past can provide a pathway to personal redemption and legal exoneration in the present.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- EN
