Atmospheric, evocative, and emotionally charged…
Set against the rugged backdrop of Eastern Kentucky, Cafaro’s compelling novel follows a young girl’s fight to claim her voice. Growing up under the weight of her father’s drinking, childhood in Coon Ridge for Flora Richardson is a mix of bruises and blessings: nights of fear broken by laughter on the porch, and a mother’s fierce love that refuses to die. Those early wounds linger, and in adulthood, Flora can no longer escape the reckoning they demand.
Shifting in time and framed by snippets from Flora’s memoir, the novel captures the rugged soul of Appalachia. Vera’s brilliance and fragility, along with Tazz’s enduring presence, root the story in beauty touched by sorrow. Cafaro, an ER nurse and Appalachian native, writes with authenticity. She reveals the endurance of women who carry entire histories on their backs, showing how faith and love survive even in the hardest soil. Lovers of raw, emotionally-charged stories rooted in place and memory will want to take a look.
A moving, beautifully structured novel of survival, healing, and hope.
Pub date July 27, 2025
Brighter Days Press
ISBN 979-8990873445
Price $19.99 (USD) Paperback, $4.99 Kindle edition
