The distance from the heart of things

the long version

Blessed with a bewitching way with words and a powerfully loving heart, Mavis has come home to be the accountant for her grandfather's prosperous vineyard. But her homecoming also sparks an accounting of a different kind, as Mavis charts the emotional distance she has traveled from the people she loves most. Her childlike mother drifts through days dreaming of the lovely man who died before Mavis was born. Her practical aunt Hazel is planning an elaborate wedding that will turn out to be the high point of her marriage. Her prodigal uncle Owen tempts fate with wild midnight rides. And tugging hardest on her loyalty is the domineering figure of her grandfather, Punk, who plans to make Mavis his sole heir.