About this Event
From acclaimed author Terah Shelton Harris comes a poignant story of survival and redemption, asking readers to question what it means to stop surviving and start living.
Leigh is the last of the Wildes. She knows this because she watched them all die.
Grief never truly fades and even as the tragedy haunts her, Leigh carries on, because survival is in her blood. So, when the transport bus taking her to Pr*son careens off the road, killing everyone onboard except her, she does what’s in her nature. She survives.
While searching for a place to hide, Leigh stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary: a flower farm in rural Alabama tucked away from the world. What Leigh doesn’t expect is the found family there who have built something from the wreckage of their own lives. Especially Jackson, the farm’s owner, who sees through Leigh’s defenses, offers her small moments of tenderness, encourages her to face her own tragedies. Slowly, Leigh finds peace with the hard pace and soft nature of the farm, taking comfort in the life blooming around her. Maybe she’s not beyond redemption, not too broken for something good. And maybe, just maybe, Leigh starts to heal.
But the past isn't so easily buried.
No matter how far she runs, the truth of who she is and the ghosts of the Wildes follow. And when those secrets catch up to her, threatening everything she’s come to love, Leigh will have to truly face what she can survive.
"I will tell you my story and will leave nothing out."
From the first sentence, prepared to be mesmerized and completely immersed in this bittersweet story about a young woman who, freshly escaped from Pr*son, seeks a new life - and tender new love - on a rural Alabama flower farm, if only she can escape the ghosts of her past. With this electrifying novel, acclaimed and beloved author Terah Shelton Harris cements her emergence as a powerful new voice in American literature.
- Beautiful, Evocative Writing : Harris brings Leigh's story to life with her signature lyricism, evocative language, and a strong sense of place.
- Important Issues: With real, pressing issues at its heart - including generational trauma, mass incarceration, and rural economic challenges - it tenderly examines how nature, community and connection can play a role in healing from trauma.
- A Love Story at Its Core: This deeply emotional novel is grounded with a love story that will appeal to fans of Tayari Jones, Kennedy Ryan, and Tia Williams.
- Setting with a Rich History: Harris, a former librarian, chose Gee's Bend, Alabama for its rich history, isolation, and uniqueness. Readers will want to know more about the cultural history of this unique place, notably the story of its quilts.
- Full Court Press Marketing: Billed as Landmark's top trade paperback fiction release of Spring 2026, there will strong national media and buzz-building campaigns.
Praise for Terah Shelton Harris:
"An unforgettable portrayal of familial tragedy, bravery, and redemption. Harris delivers a powerful heartrending debut about what it means to forgive the unforgivable." ― Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman's Daughter.
"A tour de force of history, injustice, and the brutal, beautiful everlasting ties of family." ―Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl and The Last Romantics
TERAH SHELTON HARRIS is an author and collection development librarian based in Alabama and a freelance writer. She has been published in Women’s Health, Natural Solutions, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, Draft, and Women’s Adventure. She is the author of One Summer in Savannah and Long After We Are Gone.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1030 Elysian Fields Ave, 1030 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 23.04
