Book description
The decision to invite his Southern relatives to stay proves a fateful
one for Austin King. By the time they leave, his reputation and his
marriage have suffered irreparable damage. Against the perfectly-drawn
background of small-town Illinois at the turn of the 20th century,
Maxwell once again uncovers the seeds of potential tragedy at the heart
of a happily-established family. William Maxwell (1908-2000) was born
in Illinois. He was the author of a distinguished body of work: six
novels, three short story collections, an autobiographical memoir and a
collection of literary essays and reviews. A
New Yorker
editor for 40 years, he helped to shape the prose and careers of John
Updike, John Cheever, John O'Hara, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Eudora
Welty. His novel, So Long Tomorrow
won the American Book Award, and in 1995 he received the PEN/Malamud
Award.
