In the Garden

Two years ago, Robert Turner, the patriarch of the Turner family died, leaving behind his wife, Helena, and their four adult sons, Jamie, Daniel, Willie, and Rob Jr. All five remaining members of the family are still in the process of coming to grips with that loss.

Memorial Day weekend has always been the time when the Turners plant their garden for the summer. Robert and Helena had come from the South to Cleveland, Ohio, from sharecropping families. Although they did not want the sharecropping life for their children, they understood there were life lessons to be learned from interacting with Mother Earth. Now, as the surviving family members reunite for planting day, the unresolved business of the family begins to reemerge. Can the Turners find peace with each other, even in the face of tragedy?

This novel presents the story of a family coming together to heal through work in their garden, sharing a tale of heritage, love, and the search for self.