The Illusion of Leaving by Jeannette Brown

The Illusion of Leaving by Jeannette Brown

Jamie Wright hates her West Texas hometown of Silver Falls, its small minded people, the reminder of her childhood there and her failed first marriage—the source of her daddy’s eternal disappointment. Jamie’s in town to plan his funeral, sell the ranch, and never look back. The funeral goes as planned, however, the reading of the will does not go as planned. The night after the funeral, Jamie and two former classmates go for a nostalgic ride to reminisce about high school. When a tornado system blows in, they drive to a nearby storm shelter. There, fueled by vodka, the secrets erupt.

“When Jaime Wright returns to her childhood home to say goodbye to her dying father—patriarch of the West Texas village of Silver Falls--she uncovers decades-old secrets that reshape her sense of self and lead her to reimagine her future. Surprised by revelations from the past, Jaime re-sees the present as she recognizes the subtle and tenacious beauty of the remote, gritty, windblown place in which she is more deeply-rooted than she realized. With keen insight and wry humor, Jeannette Brown’s debut novel, The Illusion of Leaving, depicts the pains and the joys of ageing and of friendship and family relationship to illuminate our deep need for human connection.” –ALLEN WIER, author of Tehano and Late Night, Early Morning

“The Illusion of Leaving evokes the emotional pull of home and upbringing –SARAH BIRD, author of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen and Recent Studies Indicate: The Best of Sarah Bird “The Illusion of Leaving is a literary treasure inspired by the harsh West Texas landscape that magnifies life’s pitfalls and bleak beauty and relationships laden with hidden crevices of enlightenment. Small towns are notorious pits of gossip, and Silver Falls is held together by enough secrets to keep wagging tongues busy for years. Brown paints this small Texas town in a fading light, ready to blow away like a tumbleweed, yet filled with people that know when to drop the gossip mongering and come together during times of crisis.” –Ruthie Jones, Lone Star Literary Review

Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, JEANNETTE BROWN was raised in Texas. Her work has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Southwestern American Literature, and New Millennium Writings, among others. She is the co-editor of Literary Lunch, a food anthology. She has received residencies from the Sewanee Writer’s Conference, Rivendell Writers’ Colony, and Hedgebrook/India.