In 1964 Zephyr, Alabama, twelve-year-old Cory Mackenson witnesses a car plunge into a deep lake. His father dives in to help, only to find a murdered man handcuffed to the steering wheel. This trauma fractures the local peace and sends Cory’s father into a mental spiral. As Cory investigates the unidentified victim, he navigates a landscape where childhood imagination meets grim reality. The narrative follows Cory through encounters with a river monster called Old Moses, a local hoodlum with a fast car, and an ancient woman who hears spirits.
This novel serves readers who appreciate historical fiction blended with supernatural elements. It attracts those interested in the transition from childhood innocence to the harsh realizations of adulthood in the American South. Readers finish the book with a vivid picture of a vanishing era, marked by racial tension and the cooling influence of the Civil Rights movement. It provides a detailed look at how small-town secrets and the threat of mortality shape a young person's identity before the modern world encroaches.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1991
- Language
- EN
