Every first Sunday in June members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at ldquothe old home placerdquo a sprawling hundred-acre farm in Arkansas And every year Samuel Lake a vibrant and committed young preacher brings his beloved wife Willadee Moses and their three children back for the festivities The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from the prying eyes of their fatherrsquos congregation for Willadee itrsquos a precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father Calla and John But just as the reunion is getting under way tragedy strikes jolting the family to their core Johnrsquos untimely death and soon after the loss of Samuelrsquos parish which set the stage for a summer of crisis and profound changeIn the midst of it all Samuel and Willadeersquos outspoken eleven-year-old daughter Swan is a bright light Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family But it is Blade Ballenger a traumatized eight-year-old neighbor who soon captures Swanrsquos undivided attention Full of righteous anger and innocent of the peril facing her and those she loves Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe from his terrifying fatherWith characters who spring to life as vividly as if they were members of onersquos own family and with the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragicmdashand triumphantmdashaspects of human nature Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of the most vital engaging storytellers writing today In The Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction.
