Set the 1930's, this is a story of love, loss and family secrets. Having grown up in a small town in rural Ohio, I recognized the stock characters in this story and loved the attention to detail about town layout, architecture, local politics, farming, and the lethargy of the high humid summer heat when ladies napped in the afternoon. I especially enjoyed the brief appearance of the town librarian who lets a smart young reader take out two books a day instead of the usual two books a week. It took me home (thank-you Bookmobile ladies!) 
 Borrows does a masterful job structuring her tale doling out the mystery at the emotional center of the story in dribs and drabs, taking the reader from vague awareness of a past tragedy to consuming desire to get to the heart of things, all the time cautioning, "Don't ask questions if you can't live with the answers." She creates a cast of complicated sympathetic core characters using first person narrative (twelve-year-old Willa), third person narrative (her aunt Jottie), and letters to and from a stranger (Layla, a senator's daughter "on relief") writing a history of the town of Macedonia for the WPA. 
 The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read is the nagging impression (to me) that Willa was too wise and insightful for her years. Others might disagree. Overall, I found this a satisfying and engaging read. Highly recommended. 
 I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher, but that did not affect my review.