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Many readers remember Jeanette Walls from her popular memoir, The Glass Castle. Her newest book, a work of historical fiction, is set during prohibition in Virginia.
Sallie Kinkaid is devoted to her father, Duke, the richest and most powerful man in Claiborne County. But when his third wife takes a dislike to Sallie, she is sent off to live with an aunt for what begins as a month and turns into nine years.
When Duke finally sends for Sallie, she is a young woman. On returning to the Big House, Sallie is more clearly able to see the tension and lawlessness in the way that Duke runs the county and makes his money by bootlegging and rent collected from sharecroppers.
When Duke dies suddenly, there are plenty of family members wanting to take over the business, but eventually they leave it in shambles. It is up to Sallie to rebuild the Duke’s legacy and the family business. She finds her footing and eventually figures out a way to deal with feuds, betrayals and family secrets.
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