This is the story of Sara, who comes home to Savannah, GA to take care of her father and has to face the family of the man responsible for a violent assault she endured. With her is her 9-year-old daughter, who was born as a result of the assault. Sara has to balance allowing her child to live in the world while protecting her from the powerful family who might want to take her away. There are many creative touches to the story—from a child genius who can’t wear watches to an old man who only speaks in verse. It’s a story about language and science and transformation and love. It’s about the power of forgiveness and how it can free us from wars no longer worth fighting. Harris has written a moving novel filled with big ideas, real people and beautiful language.

Sara returns home to Georgia after years of leaving the horrible rape in her teens behind her when her father falls ill. Sara has a secret she is returning with that she has tried to protect and keep safe from the horror of the rape snd the prominent family who can take all she has from her. As Sara interacts with her rapist twin brother, Jacob, layers of secrets, family pain and guilt are discovered.

While I enjoyed the story and the way it unfolded, one thing about this book that bothered me was Sara’s father only talking in poetic verse. His language was made entirely of verses from various poets. I would have enjoyed the father peppering poetry as he delved out wisdom, but the entire use of poetry for vocabulary took away from the overall storyline and fluidity of the story. Overall the story is enjoyable and my dislike for the use of poetry to create the fathers voice should not deter reads from this feel good story of love, growth and forgiveness.

Rich in descriptive language and awash in emotions, this beautifully crafted debut novel had me hooked from the onset..
When her father becomes Ill, Sara Lancaster decides to leave her home in Maine and venture back to Savannah,, with her eight year old, extraordinarily gifted daughter, Alana. It’s a complicated decision as Alana was conceived as the result of a rape when Sara was only 18 years old. Returning home to help run her dad’s bookstore might put her in the path of her rapist’s wealthy family, the Wylers. She vows to protect her daughter from any Wyler influence only to find out that her daughter’s uncle, Jacob, has also returned to Savannah. Although he testified at his brother’s trial, which sent Daniel to prison, Sara is afraid to trust him.
The result was a page turner. The characters were so beautifully drawn so that I was completely invested in their future. I loved this book and will anxiously await the next book by this talented author.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of One Summer In Savannah!”

One Summer in Savannah is brilliantly and beautifully written. Within the pages are a kaleidoscope of emotions, it is heartbreaking, redemptive, honest, joyful and very, very sad. The words on each page urge the reader to feel each tear that is shed, each angry outburst and each act of forgiveness, however subtle they may be.

Sara is raped at the tender age of 18 and her life changes drastically after the assault. She is young, pregnant by her rapist and scared. The author does not detail the assault, rather she artfully lets the reader know this fact by a much gentler prose and less triggering description. When Alana is born, Sara has difficulty bonding with the unwanted baby, but once she realizes the love she has for her child, she fiercely protects Alana from her rapist, his family and even the town she grew up in. When Sara’s father becomes ill, she must go home to spend his last few months with him. When she unexpectedly runs into her assailant’s twin brother, she experiences an initial terror, then acceptance, then love. Fear can grab you and hold on for a very long time. Sometimes it takes something extraordinary to ease that fear. And that’s what Jacob did for Sara, he came into her life when she needed to finally let go of her fear and anger.

My words cannot do this book the justice it deserves, you must read it for yourself to get the full immersive experience. It is simply stunning. I give this book 5 stars and I’m looking forward to the next book by Terah Shelton Harris.
Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

One Summer in Savannah
A Novel
by Terah Shelton Harris
Description
A compelling debut that glows with bittersweet heart and touching emotion, deeply interrogating questions of family, redemption, and unconditional love in the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, as two people discover what it means to truly forgive.

I fell in love with Terah Shelton Harris's writing. What a talent as a first novel.BRAVO. It is a book that you fall into. I lost track of time. It will show forgiveness, love for a child, and what it means to let love in. This is one I shall share with many.