Review: Summer in the South by Cathy Holton

Summer in the South: A Novel by Cathy Holton is a simmering summer read filled with romance and intrigue about long-buried pasts.  Following the death of her mother, Ava joins a college friend, Will, at his ancestral home in Tennessee where he lives with two elderly aunts.  In addition to coming to terms with her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Ava is looking for some time away to work on a novel.  She did not, however, expect to find such rich content for her novel right in the home in which she spends the summer.

Will is part of an upstanding, well-to-do Southern family but although they maintain traditions like evening cocktails (Toddy Time) and host parties which require engraved invitations, there are secrets hidden in their past.  This hint of scandal casts a shadow over the family but in typical Southern tradition no one discusses the less than perfect past.  Although polite, everyone seems emotionally shut down while they try to keep everything under wraps.

Ava, however, does not bow to these traditions and is gradually unearthing parts of the family's past.  As she learns more about the family's past, it inspires her to write and her novel begins to take shape.  With Will's obvious romantic interest in her and the kindness offered by the aunts, Ava knows writing this novel will be viewed as a betrayal because it exposes what the family has worked so hard to keep buried.   She can't, however, stem her need to get to the bottom of a mystery in the family's past.

This novel offers a peek into life in the South as it might have been 50 years ago.  Although it takes place in the present, everyone lives as you might expect them to in the 1950's - no one seems to have a job and they retire to bed during the heat of midday.  Toddy Time anchors their days and they certainly stand on ceremony.  By moving at the slow pace of days gone by, the novel makes for a lovely summer respite and I found myself languishing in the charm of the South.  It is interesting to watch the Northerner, Ava, adjust as she is dropped into this world of tradition, formality and a slower pace.  The author tosses in some romantic tension between Will and Ava and the competing interests of another man in town to round out this summer read.  For a quick trip back to the charm of South during the time of plantations and debuts, pick of Summer in the South: A Novel by Cathy Holton!

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book for review.