Between the Lines

When I was a child, I would sometimes find my mother tucked away in a quiet corner of the yard with a big book.  She had three little girls to raise and these moments with a good biography or fascinating piece of fiction provided the escape she sorely needed. So when Mother’s Day comes around, I always think about the best book to send out my Mom in California.  Reading time is not as rare as it once was, but I know that a good book can still bring her great pleasure.

 A book that recently swept me away is The Peach Keeper by Sara Addison Allen. Part mystery, part romance, part southern charmer with just a touch of magic, this is a book that does not easily fit into a literary category.  

Allen takes us to the small town of Walls of Water, which sits on the edge of the Cataract National Forest.  This natural wonder is a mecca for campers and hikers and Walls of Water serves the tourists by providing hiking gear, food and other necessities.  The heroine of this story, Willa Jackson, owns a store that caters to the transient visitors, as well providing coffee and goodies prepared by a caffeine obsessed co-worker. 

But Walls of Water was not always a tourist town.  Established by loggers over a hundred years ago, the town is partially populated by descendants of the original settlers. While Willa is the great granddaughter of the man who formed the lumber company and built the grand mansion known as the Blue Ridge Madam, she wants nothing to do with the fancy townies she grew up with. Upon returning home after years of wandering the world, she prefers to associate with the newcomers who are there to serve the tourists.

 Paxton Osgood, Willa’s nemesis in high school is planning a grand gala to celebrate the renovation of the Blue Ridge Madam and the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Society Club.  The Women’s Society Club was originally formed by Willa and Paxton’s respective grandmothers to provide friendship and support, but has devolved into a club that cares more about gossip.  Willa does not want to be involved with the gala, but gets pulled into Paxton’s world when a body is found under a dying peach tree in the back yard of the Blue Ridge Madam. Soon everyone from Willa’s grandmother to Paxton’s twin brother becomes involved with the investigation into this decades-old murder.

 The Peach Keeper is a story that will take you away to a world where the air is scented with peaches, bells ring for no reason and love and friendship are discovered and rediscovered.  This is a perfect book to enchant a mom who could use a little break from her busy life.