Title: When the Bough Breaks: Rockabye Baby
Author: Oscar Patton
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Release Date: April 11th, 2012
Love, hate, ambition, greed, lasciviousness-- human nature is laid bare in this story about the fall of the grandest house in Hebron, Georgia. Following the sudden death on the same night of her infant son and her rich and powerful husband, Ada McCallum, too young and too beautiful, must assume control of a vast empire and make her way in a world of men at war, at home and abroad. Strong willed Ada, a twentieth-century Scarlett O'Hara, succeeds in business and in love, but her behavior can be reckless and her choices unwise. Local newspaper editor and McCallum family friend Carl Goodman narrates Ada's life and reveals dark secrets. He also chronicles race relations, ghost sightings, and happenings in and around Sailla County.
I was in the mood for some intrigue. Some mystery and interesting characters. And I got it all in 'When the Bough Breaks' by Oscar Patton.
This book starts with a riveting first chapter, immediately putting you in the McCallum household. Hiram McCallum is dead. Baby McCallum is dead. Ada McCallum is in apparent shock over her immense loss. She mechanically begins to wash both the bodies of her infant son and husband, once both the town's doctor and Reverend had left the home, somber faced.
And so begins Ada's story as told by the family's closest friend. But this is not a story just about Ada. This is also a story of many of the town's residents.
Though the pace of this novel is quite mellow, it is full of tension and holds your attention from the very first page. Though a small town, it is full of intrigue and drama. There is even a couple of ghosts in the McCallum mansion, that add a gothic and sinister feel to this story. There is a cloud of dread and doom over the people of Satilla County. The awful events of one fateful day, set in motion feelings of paranoia in some of the folks in this township. Soon, persecution and corruption make an appearance. Even the innocent and good can not escape, especially if your skin is of a darker color.
An intriguing tale full of interesting characters, politics and intrigue. A mellow paced type of story that kept me riveted and curious from its very first page.
About the Author: Oscar Patton is a graduate of
Berry College, the University of Tennessee, and Florida State
University. A retired college professor of literature and composition,
he now spends his days at his writing place on the family farm near
Ambrose, Georgia. He has written and is revising for publication two more novels for a Satilla County trilogy.
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