Years ago at a writers' conference in South Georgia, I met Ms. Shivers. She read an excerpt from her tiny novel and I was hooked. Now I read it often, especially when I've had to be around people who butcher the english language. Shiver's beautiful prose is like a soothing salve. Ex: "There were trees along the main street, real tall elms as old and lofty as the Confederate monument on top of the mound in Elmwood Cemetery. In the summers any little stir from the branches fanned the cured tobacco smell from the warehouses and sealed it over the center of town like a jar lid." Now, who in their right mind, after reading those words, wouldn't want to catch the next bus to North Carolina just to find such a place? Shivers writes like she's sitting in a porch swing, talking. Don't have time for a long book? Pick up a copy of this little jewel. Its rich, southern voice will lure you in and you won't want it to end!

This obscure novel is one of the best books I've ever read (and I've read many, all genres). In a deceptively simple story of an illicit love in tobacco country, the author deals with the deepest mysteries of life, death, and redemption. I wish Louise Shivers were more prolific, and so will you after you read this slender but astonishing book.

If you read only one book this year, make sure it's Louise Shiver's lovely little book. Yes, it's out of print, but worth the effort to hunt for. There is a treasure awaiting whoever goes to the trouble. I heard Ms. Shivers read an excerpt from this book when it first came out, and the memory still brings up a sense of incredulity at the beauty of the language she used. I consider it among the top 3 favorite books I've ever read. Get it! Read it! Then read it again. . . . and again. . .!