ABOUT THE GROVE

In this poignant coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the socioeconomic turbulence of the 1960s, two sisters in a fractured and struggling family find solace in each other—until a devastating secret shatters their bond and jeopardizes their quest for justice in their small town.

Fifteen-year-old Pip and seventeen-year-old Sissy are not merely siblings; they are each other's confidants and dearest friends. Each year, they eagerly await the arrival of the traveling carnival, which transforms their tiny Florida town into a vivid landscape of joy and wonder, momentarily allowing them to escape the relentless burdens of life on their family's orange grove. In those fleeting days, the suffocating weight of poverty, their mother's despair, and their father's simmering anger fade away, granting the girls a taste of freedom.

However, this year heralds a stark change. As the carnival departs—along with the enigmatic young sword-swallower—Sissy becomes increasingly distant, veering away from her sister, transforming their once inseparable companionship into a chasm of misunderstanding. In this void, Pip finds herself drawn closer to her friend Silas, igniting a friendship that offers new glimmers of hope.

Yet the revelation of Sissy's harrowing secret thrusts the three into a precarious situation, propelling them down a path that will irrevocably alter their lives. Within the land that bears the sweetest of fruits, Pip must navigate the souring hopes and unfulfilled dreams of her family to ultimately liberate herself from the confines of the grove.

Set against the backdrop of the class and economic tensions of early 1960s America, this stark yet uplifting novel illuminates the inescapable bonds of sisterhood and the intricate lies we craft to endure our realities.