by Annie Barrows
Reviewed by Janet:
Layla Beck is a writer for the Federal Writers' Project and paying lodger with the Romeyn family in Macedonia, West Virginia in the summer of 1938. Charged with writing the town's history, Layla finds herself drawn into the secrets, rivalries, and politics of small town life. This novel draws the reader into the hot summer of West Virginia as well as the intricate complications of history, love, and loyalty.