My cousin runs a library and she invited me to an evening there with an author called Terri Wiltshire, whose debut novel Carry Me Home is on the shortlist for Wales Book of the Year award. She is from Alabama but now lives in wales.
The book is set in Alabama, and is the story of how a single event affects four successive generations. It is easy to read, although the subject matter can occasionally be quite hard to read as it's positively harrowing in parts. It deals with some real adversity for the main characters, and has two timelines running alternately, so set partly in the early part of the last century and partly in the present day.
I found the book very absorbing, emotional, compelling; a real page-turner. The lady herself is so interesting, warm and friendly and has put so much into writing and publishing the book that it's moved me to spread the word in whatever small way I can (not that MN is a small way.....)
It does have some reviews on Amazon which you could check out if you fancy it. I think it's got so many layers that it would make a good reading group book - plenty of issues to think about and discuss. In short, tis a good one