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One Summer in Savannah

A Novel

ebook
4 of 5 copies available
4 of 5 copies available

"Nothing short of astonishing. The best writers are brave writers, and Harris has proven herself among those ranks." —Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck

A compelling debut that glows with bittersweet heart and touching emotion, deeply interrogating questions of family, redemption, and unconditional love in the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, as two people discover what it means to truly forgive.

It's been eight years since Sara Lancaster left her home in Savannah, Georgia. Eight years since her daughter, Alana, came into this world, following a terrifying sexual assault that left deep emotional wounds Sara would do anything to forget. But when Sara's father falls ill, she's forced to return home and face the ghosts of her past.

While caring for her father and running his bookstore, Sara is desperate to protect her curious, outgoing, genius daughter from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. Sara thinks she can succeed—her attacker is in prison, his identical twin brother, Jacob, left town years ago, and their mother are all unaware Alana exists. But she soon learns that Jacob has also just returned to Savannah to piece together the fragments of his once-great family. And when their two worlds collide—with the type of force Sara explores in her poetry and Jacob in his astrophysics—they are drawn together in unexpected ways.

"An unforgettable portrayal of familial tragedy, bravery, and redemption." —Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman's Daughter

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    • Library Journal

      February 1, 2023

      When Sara Lancaster heads home to Georgia to care for her father, she's returning to the place where she was raped eight years previously--and with the brilliant, beloved little girl who was subsequently born. She wants to keep her daughter's identity hidden from the powerful family of the man who attacked her, but his identical twin brother, Jacob, has also returned home to seek the reason why his family is tumbling apart. Inevitably, he and Sarah meet. A debut from collection development librarian Harris. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      May 1, 2023
      Eight years ago, Sara Lancaster left Savannah, Georgia, with no intention of ever returning. After being raped at a high-school party and going through a painful public trial, she moved away to raise the daughter that resulted from the assault. However, when her father suffers a serious health crisis, she must return and confront the past she thought she left behind. Jacob, the identical twin brother of Sara's convicted assailant, has also recently returned to the area, and a chance meeting between Jacob and Sara's daughter brings the two families together unexpectedly. As Sara and Jacob tentatively repair old wounds, they face what it means to truly forgive. An emphasis on language and poetry (Sara's father speaks only in snippets of poems) adds a lyrical quality to the story. While there are references to the trauma Sara endured, the novel avoids any graphic descriptions of the incident or immediate aftermath. A natural pick for book clubs--there is plenty to discuss in this thought-provoking, moving story of forgiveness, unexpected connection, and the myriad ways people protect those they love.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2023

      DEBUT Alabama-based collection development librarian Harris's first novel is filled with challenges, the first of which is the existence of Sara Lancaster's daughter, who was conceived during a sexual assault. Alana resembles her father and similarly possesses a genius-level proficiency in mathematics. When Sara's father begins to ail, mother and daughter leave the relative privacy of Maine for Savannah, to care for him and run his bookstore. Even though Savannah is where her sexual assault took place, Sara hopes to keep Alana's existence a secret from the Wylers, the family of her attacker. While the focus of Harris's novel is admirable in its exploration of the myriad shapes of forgiveness and the ripple effect of grief, there are too many contrived plot devices that muddy these messages. Among these are Sara's love life taking a frankly unbelievable twist and the too-pat revelation of a mysterious benefactor who keeps the bookstore solvent. VERDICT While emotionally ambitious in its choice of topic, this debut takes on too many challenges and fails to fully execute.--Julie Kane

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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