In the River Sweet - Tapa dura

Fifty-year-old Ruth Anne Bond finds her happy marriage, rich life, and firm Catholic faith--in spite of the church's disapproval of her daughter's lesbianism--turned upside down when a secret that she has kept from the family for nearly thirty years is revealed by contact from her illegitimate son. By the author of Hummingbird House. 50,000 first printing.

k Award finalist Patricia Henley captivates us with this engrossing novel of a woman whose long-held secret will transform her life and her marriage.

From all appearances, Ruth Anne Bond is enviably lucky. Her husband, Johnny, still treats her like a young lover. Her grown daughter is a staunch friend. Her steady work and devotion to the church have quietly made her a pillar of the community. Then one long Indiana summer brings some unexpected communiqués—including one she has both craved and feared for thirty years. As long-hidden truths threaten to emerge, for the first time in her marriage Ruth Anne is faced with memories she and Johnny never discuss: of a year spent in Saigon in 1968—and a past she has yet to acknowledge. Probing questions of family and faith, Patricia Henley offers us a tender, far-sighted novel about seeking answers and achieving grace.
From the Trade Paperback edition.