Playing with Matches

Clea Shine has grown up tough because she had to. Her mother's drinking, her husband's philandering, and the poverty of her youth have hardened her. After one betrayal too many, she packs her kids into the car and drives home - to the clapboard house of the woman who raised her, Jerusha Lovemore. Clea and Jerusha have a bond beyond blood, a respect for the sacrifices they have made for one another, and something as deep and as powerful as love.

Their relationship is tested as Clea delves into her past, searching through the wreckage of a troubled youth for clues as to why her happiness is so elusive. A storm is coming to this Mississippi town, and it will blow the roof from the house, exposing the secrets that have been kept from Clea her entire life.

“'Poignant tale of guilt, forgiveness and fractured family bonds' Stylist .”

'Stunning ... Wall's talent and empathy are evident in this story of learning to forgive' Publisher's Weekly. Publisher's Weekly
'Poignant tale of guilt, forgiveness and fractured family bonds' Stylist. Stylist

Carolyn Wall is a full-time freelance writer and lecturer. She lives with her husband in Oklahoma City.

Clea's homecoming is bittersweet. Reunited with Jerusha Lovemore, the woman who raised her, the two rediscover their bond - a respect for the sacrifices they have made for one another, and something as deep and as powerful as love. But Clea still cannot escape the ghosts of her past: the abandonment by her disreputable mother, her constant search for belonging, the truth behind that fateful night from long ago. A storm is coming to this Mississippi town, and it will blow the roof from the house, exposing the secrets that have been kept from Clea her entire life.

Clea Shine has grown up tough because she had to. Her mother's drinking, her husband's philandering, and the poverty of her youth have hardened her. After one betrayal too many, she packs her kids into the car and drives home - to the clapboard house of the woman who raised her, Jerusha Lovemore. Clea and Jerusha have a bond beyond blood, a respect for the sacrifices they have made for one another, and something as deep and as powerful as love. Their relationship is tested as Clea delves into her past, searching through the wreckage of a troubled youth for clues as to why her happiness is so elusive. A storm is coming to this Mississippi town, and it will blow the roof from the house, exposing the secrets that have been kept from Clea her entire life.

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