Two Rivers. T. Greenwood
Advance Praise for Two Rivers
“From the moment the train derails in the town of Two Rivers, I was hooked. Who is this mysterious young stranger named Maggie, and what is she running from? In Two Rivers , T. Greenwood weaves a haunting story in which the sins of the past threaten to destroy the fragile equilibrium of the present. Ripe with surprising twists and heart-breakingly real characters, Two Rivers is a remarkable and complex look at race and forgiveness in small-town America.”
—Michelle Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog and No One You Know
“ Two Rivers is a convergence of tales, a reminder that the past never washes away, and yet, in T. Greenwood’s delicate handling of time gone and time to come, love and forgiveness wait on the other side of what life does to us and what we do to it. This novel is a sensitive and suspenseful portrayal of family and the ties that bind.”
—Lee Martin, author of The Bright Forever and River of Heaven
“T. Greenwood’s writing shimmers and sings as she braids together past, present, and the events of one desperate day. I ached for Harper in all of his longing, guilt, grief, and vast, abiding love, and I rejoiced at his final, hard-won shot at redemption.”
—Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me and Love Walked In
“ Two Rivers is a stark, haunting story of redemption and salvation. T. Greenwood portrays a world of beauty and peace that, once disturbed, reverberates with searing pain and inescapable consequences; this is a story of a man who struggles with the deepest, darkest parts of his soul, and is able to fight his way to the surface to breathe again. But also—maybe more so—it is the story of a man who learns the true meaning of family: When I am with you, I am home. A memorable, powerful work.”
—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
Turn the page for more outstanding
praise for Two Rivers .
“The premise of Two Rivers is alluring: the very morning a deadly train derailment upsets the balance of a sleepy Vermont town, a mysterious girl show up on Harper Montgomery’s doorstep, forcing him to dredge up a lifetime of memories—from his blissful, indelible childhood to his lonely, contemporary existence. Most of all, he must look long and hard at that terrible night twelve years ago, when everything he held dear was taken from him, and he, in turn, took back. T. Greenwood’s novel is full of love, betrayal, lost hopes, and a burning question: is it ever too late to find redemption?”
—Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, author of The Effects of Lightand the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize–winning Set Me Free
“In the tradition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird , T. Greenwood’s Two Rivers is a wonderfully distinctive American novel, abounding with memorable characters, unusual lore and history, dark family secrets, and love of life. Two Rivers is the story that people want to read: the one they have never read before.”
—Howard Frank Mosher, author of Walking to Gatlinburg
T WO R IVERS
T. Greenwood
For Patrick
Contents
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
P ROLOGUE
O NE
Two Rivers
Betsy
The Girl
The Folding Machine
News
April Fools
Jumbo Liar
The Road Less Traveled
Rain
1968: Fall
T WO
Lightning
Stations of the Cross
The Heights
Sunday Supper
Sliding
Eulogy
1968: Fall
T HREE
Freedom School
Alteration
Maybe Tonight
Comfort Food
Orientation
Missing
Freedom Summer
Forgiveness
Heat Lightning
The Montrealer
1968: Fall
F OUR
Inside the House of Me
Ray
1968: Fall
1968: Fall
1968: Fall
The New England Bell
Home
Freedom Press
Mermaid
Things Spared
Ticket
Official Hair Styles for Boys and Men
Home Remedy
Valentine
F IVE
Home Brew
Samurai
Lilacs
Broken
Midway
Acts of Contrition
The Heights
1968: Fall
Edges
S IX
Exactor Extractor
Last Wishes
Bat in the Owl House
Night-blooming Cereus
Finding Snow
E PILOGUE
May 1981: The Sunshine State
Discussion Questions
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to give thanks to the following people for their contributions both big and small:
First, to the National Endowment for the Arts and the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, whose generous financial support enabled me to find both the time and space to write this novel. To my family, whose unwavering support has been nothing short of heroic. To Nicole Norum, Ann Marie Houghtailing and Jim Kokoris who read early versions of the novel and said to keep writing. To Penny Patch, who shared with me her remarkable personal experience during Freedom Summer. To Karl Lindholm for all things Middlebury and to Matt Van Hattem and David Warner, who answered all of my questions about trains. To Denise Johnson for dancing on the hood of her car. To Beya Thayer, who told me who Maggie was and