The mourners' bench

Susan M. Dodd, Susan Dodd

Leandra lives a quiet, reclusive existence in a small town in North Carolina. Her solitude is broken when her sister's husband, Wim, appears on her doorstep - a man she hasn't seen or heard from in over ten years, since a time that was steeped in tragedy. Now Wim has returned to Leandra - his last wish - because he is dying. Their story is rendered from both perspectives, a melody and countermelody of Wim's New England eloquence and Leandra's delicate Southern drawl. We gradually learn about their first meeting, when a young Leandra was summoned to New England to take care of her older sister, Pamela, bedridden from a complicated pregnancy and severely depressed. The tensions in Pamela and Win's passionate but troubled marriage contrast with the growing solace that Wim and Leandra find in each other, trapped in a house filled with anger, distrust, and sadness. Eventually, this...

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