The story follows a rural Southern family that deals with the practical and emotional concerns of waiting for the mother to die, then the burial. It tells the story through many eyes, with each character's first-person narrative in the mindset of how he or she thinks and acts, which usually contradicts a previous character's thoughts. The plot is straightforward, but the emotions are not. Who lies, who tells the truth, or even harder.. who lies to themselves? It is left to the reader to determine the true thoughts of each character.
I hated this book so much, and I loved it so much. I honestly hate these characters for their bull-headed stubbornness and inability to see beyond their on mindsets. And I love the writer for this, because ugh I did love these characters. Well most of them. Anse is just an ass.
I loved the intrigue, the mystery behind the back-story of each character until it is slowly revealed piece by piece, by things said and the things unsaid.
It was a slow read in some ways because there aren't crazy plot twists or explosions and fight scenes like in action novels. But oh, the mystery, the emotions of these characters. This book is a character study of people and it is worth reading.
3.5 stars because I really liked it, but not enough to read over and over again - so that bumped it down to 3 stars. Recommended for people who want to learn about characters and how to write emotion. Recommended for people who love understanding people and want to be drawn into a book.