John Young, a stone mason and single dad, is declared a hero in Hudson, Maine when he saves his thirteen-year-old daughter, Allison, and her best friend Carrie from a fall through an icy skating pond. But when Carrie’s body is later found drowned in a creek behind one of John’s job sites, he becomes the prime suspect. John’s sterling reputation is ruined—and no one doubts his innocence more than his own daughter.

Following the stories of four different characters, The Mending Wall explores the many ways in which the teenager’s murder affects the small town and its inhabitants. There’s Father Raphael, the not-so-pious priest with mounting secrets to hide concerning his involvement in Carrie’s death, as well as an illicit love affair. There’s Sylvia, the washed up stepmother of the true killer, still pining over John from her teenage years. And then there’s the Young family: Allison coping with the loss of her best friend, John trying to assuage her dark suspicions, and father and daughter ultimately attempting to mend their deeply fractured relationship.

The Mending Wall is a striking portrayal of a small town community coping with secrets, deception, and grave misunderstandings.

Sample Chapter of The Mending Wall