The Boys in the Trees

The Boys in the Trees

Mary Swan

#4755 of 8,085 books · #729 in Historical Fiction

Shortlisted for the Giller Prize (2008).

At the turn of the twentieth century, newly arrived to the North American countryside, William, his wife, and two daughters appear the picture of a devoted family. But when accusations of embezzlement spur William to commit an unthinkable crime, those who witnessed this affectionate, attentive father go about his routine of work and family must reconcile action with character. A doctor who has cared for the young Lillian searches for clues that might penetrate the mystery of the father's motivation. Meanwhile Rachel's teacher grapples with guilt over a moment when fate wove her into a succession of events that will haunt her dreams. Mary Swan examines the volatile collisions between our best intentions - how a passing stranger can leave an indelible mark on our lives even as the people we know most intimately become alienated by tides of self-preservation and regret. In her nuanced, evocative descriptions a locket contains immeasurable sorrow, trees provide sanctuary and refuge to lost souls, and grief clicks into place when a man cocks the cold steel barrel of a revolver.