Willow Havens is ten years old and obsessed with the fear
that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a
cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives
to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the
neighbors—and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the
young modern mothers of their small conventional Texas
town. She was in her late fifties when Willow was born,
so Willow knows she’s here by accident, a late-life
afterthought. Willow’s father died before she was born,
her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone
and failing elsewhere. It’s just her and bigger-than-life
Polly. Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life
that preceded her, and especially Polly’s life pre-
Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel,
Louisiana, fifty years ago and vow never to return? Who
is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed
a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the
illness that finally puts her on a collision course with
her past? The Book of Polly has a great blend of humor and sadness,
pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about
the grip of love in a truly quirky family and you’ll come
to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter
duos you’ve ever met.
Start Reading THE BOOK OF POLLY Now
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