Ellie Hockley was brought up in the affluent community of Round Hill, North Carolina, to be a certain kind of good Southern lady. Ellie isn't as devoted to her planned future as her family thinks, despite the fact that she is enrolled in college and almost engaged to a bank manager. She's decided to devote her time during the summer helping to register black voters. Ellie fights for the civil rights of the downtrodden, but when she does so, her neighbors' prejudices come to light and her horrified parents mock her efforts. And when Ellie falls in love with a fellow volunteer, she learns the terrifying truth about the residents of Round Hill.

2010

In Round Hill's newest subdivision, Shadow Ridge Estates, architect Kayla Carter and her husband created a stunning home for themselves. It was supposed to be a place where they could grow old together and raise their three-year-old daughter. Instead, a mystery woman who warns Kayla against moving in knows that it is the location of Kayla's husband's accidental death. The new house has been targeted by vandals who have left threatening letters, and the woods and lake behind the property are said to be haunted. Ellie Hockley, Kayla's next-door neighbor, is also hiding some long-kept secrets regarding the sinister past of the property on which her home was built.

Two ladies. Two tales. In Diane Chamberlain's gripping, stirring novel about the pursuit of justice, both are on a collision course with the truth—no matter what that truth may reveal.

My Review

Even though it's not one of my favorites, the more I read this, the more I grew to appreciate it. It often takes me a little while to get into the novels and to understand the dual timelines and the specifics of what is happening.

The story revolves around Kayla, a young woman preparing to move into her new home in Round Hill, North Carolina. Unexpectedly, a strange woman named Ellie approaches her and tells her that the house shouldn't have been built there in the first place and that she shouldn't move into it. This scares Kayla, who starts to feel really worried when strange things start happening on the property.

The majority of the book is split between two timelines: 1965 and 2010, as many other reviewers have noticed. Without a question, the most action and character development occurred in 1965. However, the conflict in 2010 is largely driven by the unresolved issues from 1965.

Actually, I preferred the 1965 timeline to the 2010 one, and it always gave me the willies. I pick up where I left off in 1965, encountering the people from Ellie's narrative as well as other people from that year. The awful events that take place in 1965 are where I also learnt about the Scope Project. The background was very ominous, and I loved it. This heartbreaking book caught me right in the gut and yanked at my heartstrings.

Having said that, this narrative has a lot of heart, a lot of food for thought, and enough mystery to keep you guessing right up to the finish. The tragic outcome was perhaps inevitable, yet the resolve felt appropriate. As always, Chamberlain writes delicately while tackling difficult themes head-on. Chamberlain should be commended for highlighting voting rights in the narrative in this way.

I do, however, wish that every character's point of view had been presented more fairly. For instance, Ellie's chapters were more substantial than Kayla's, which were mainly used as plot devices. Ellie took me a while to warm up to, and Kayla's character also needed more work.

Systemic racism and inequality are the main problems, but Chamberlain just touches the surface. I wished there had been more details provided about Wyn and the oppressed, the SCOPE Project, Ellie and her family, and Wyn. This story is about Ellie and Kayla making up for their previous transgressions. There are lessons to be learned, but the narrative of the white savior obscures them.

Although it is challenging to read, this subject is important and still relevant today. The theme of this novel, which is about the continuous fight for civil rights, is powerful and it was still fun to read.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.