“A consistently impressive and often dazzling new novel. Lee Martin has written one of the best books of the year.” —The Washington Post
“His gently melancholy style strikes a fine balance between literary fiction and accessible, emotion-driven storytelling.” —Publishers Weekly
“Quakertown is a page turner . . . a richly detailed portrait. Martin treats his characters with compassion.” —The Columbus Dispatch
In Quakertown, Lee Martin travels back in time to 1920s Texas to tell the story of a flourishing black community that was segregated from its white brethren—and of the remarkable gardener who was asked to do the unimaginable.
Based on the true story of a shameful episode in north Texas history, Quakertown draws on the rich texture of the South—the Pecan Creek running along the edges of Quakertown, the remarkable and rare white lilac, and the rising tensions marking each nod and greeting. With strength and a deep wisdom of heart, Martin carves out the delicate story of two families—one white and one black—and the child whose birth brought a gift of forgiveness.
Suffused with Martin’s deep compassion and profound humanity, Quakertown is an unforgettable novel from a master of American prose.
Lee Martin was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for The Bright Forever and is author of the novels River of Heaven, Break the Skin, and Late One Night.
