The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
Miss Layla
Beck is the daughter of a senator, spoiled and willful. At least her father thinks so when she
refuses to marry someone he wants her to so he cuts her off from all of his
support and she must go to work to support herself. This is 1938, the depths of
the Great Depression and jobs are hard to come by. Layla has an uncle who heads the Federal
Writer’s Project and he sends her to West Virginia to write the history of the
town of Macedonia. Small communities
often house the most interesting characters and Ms. Barrows finds them.
Layla lands
in the home of the Romeyn family as a boarder and her real education begins. At
one time the Romeyn’s owned the main mill in town but a tragedy 18 years before
brought an end to their dynasty. The
family lives with the truth of what happened that night as seen only by siblings
Felix and Jottie. The town lives with
what they think is the truth.
Told
through the eyes of Felix’s daughter Willa Romeyn, a twelve year old with a
high level of curiosity about her family, author Annie Barrows again mines a
small, unseen community with the truths, lies and complexities that make up the
lives of all of us everywhere. She has a knack for finding a small tucked away community and
showing us the fullness and complications of all of our lives. Ms. Barrows is co-author of The Guernsey
Literary Sweet Potato Society. You won’t be disappointed with The Truth
According to Us.
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