SWAN

Everyone has secrets, but in Swan, Georgia, not all secrets stay hidden. In 1956, Catherine Mason committed suicide. Nineteen years later, her body is unearthed and left beside her vandalized grave. The ghastly discovery brings Catherine's adult children together. J. J. has remained in Swan, a recluse and a womanizer, while Ginger's work in archaeology has taken her to Italy. Now they must piece together the events leading to their mother's shocking death. Debra Monk's insightful characterizations highlight an otherwise unexceptional story. Her rendering of the languid Georgia lifestyle drips with humidity and magnolia yet is never cloying. Mayes proves herself adept at detailing the complexities of small-town Southern life. However, fewer eccentric characters and a greater sense of dramatic urgency would have made her first novel as memorable as her nonfiction. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]