And the Crows Took Their Eyes
Raw and powerful, like the book, says the editor.
Well, the book is no cozy--though it has lots of warm, human moments--but the massacre is the central event that informs the story and the lives of those who tell the it.
I'm tweaking my blurb for the back of the book. You are welcome to tell me what you think. It's tricky--trying to hit the high points without giving away too much. ~~~During the Civil War in bitterly divided western North Carolina, Confederate troops execute thirteen men and boys from a rural community opposed to secession. The Shelton Laurel Massacre, as it came to be known, is a microcosm of the deep horrors of civil war – neighbor against neighbor and violence at one’s own front door. Told by those who lived it– the colonel’s wife, helpless witness to the outrage that precipitates the massacre; the jealous second-in-command whose ambition and rage fuel the fatal order; the canny mountain woman who endures torture to protect her people and her land; the mute girl, whose gift of second-sight and spell-working brings an unexpected revenge; and the young conscript, haunted by his part in the massacre and seeking redemption—these voices offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of five people tangled in history’s web, caught up together in love and hate. All five will bear the mark of the massacre long after the event as they struggle to come to terms with the bleak consequences of civil war.
Based on an actual event and historical characters, And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a richly imagined portrait of a dark and bitter time—illuminated by sudden gleams of warm humanity and undying strength.
