A small town in Mississippi is the backdrop for this stark, gritty novel about two people hoping to make a better life for themselves. Russell has just returned home after spending 11 years in prison for killing someone while driving drunk. Maben is looking for a safe, stable place to raise her daughter. Their lives intersect on the dark roads around McComb, their mutual hometown. Russell is trying to avoid the brothers of the young man he killed in the accident. Maben is trying to avoid the authorities because she just shot and killed a corrupt deputy sheriff who assaulted her. The desolation of their lives threatens to overwhelm Russell and Maben as they flounder from day to day. Smith's writing will draw you in until you can feel the steamy southern heat. A nod to the author for taking a tragic tale and turning it into such a lovely novel.