Where wild peaches grow A novel

Estranged sisters Nona (affectionately nicknamed "Peaches") and Julia haven't spoken in 20 years. Not since the night when Nona confided to Julia her plan to elope with her boyfriend, Marcus. Betrayed and tormented, Nona left Natchez for Chicago and started a new life as a professor of African American Studies. With their ne'er-do-well father on the run from police and their mother, tired of his lies and cheating, gone, too, Julia had more or less raised Nona, with their grandmother's help. Julia's own feelings of abandonment and betrayal are evident as she takes up with her sister's former fiancé. Their mother, Cat, had been Julia's best friend and confidante, but now she's dead to Julia, never heard from or spoken of again. Julia could understand why Cat left--but not why she stayed gone. Now, their father has died, and Nona grudgingly returns to Mississippi to pay her respects but is not happy about seeing the family who she believes has broken faith with her once again. Bentley, who also writes under the names Abby L. Vandiver and Abby Colette, has written a captivating story of miscommunication, secrets, lies, and forgiveness, beautifully told with rich descriptions of Black culture and history.