Looking for Mary Gabriel

the long version

"In the tradition of Carson McCullers, the author uses her own experience growing up with a mentally ill sister to pen this novel. Set in the heart of the deep South, Looking for Mary Gabriel is the story of Bonita, a young girl who desperately wants her family to be normal, despite each person's strange behavior. Bonita's little sister, Mary, does not act like the other neighborhood kids, and Bonita vacillates between adoring her sister and hating her. Likewise, Bonita's mother is not exactly as warm and loving as one would hope a mother should be. And Bonita's father's motives are suspect, to say the least. Almost inevitably, a tragic act of violence shatters the family forever." "As this novel opens, Bonita is preparing to bury her father and is looking back on a life that was shaped by secrets, madness, and lies."--BOOK JACKET.