Headless dolls, horse races, and arson-the tools of passion. Caroline Corbett is ready for the twentieth century, excited to find work and meet new people-but she gets more than she expected when a rough-hewn Lowcountry farmer and a small-town doctor both engage her affections. The broad-shouldered, broad-humored farmer is clear about his desires, and he's there for her. The doctor is sophisticated, educated, and obviously the right choice-but sees no reason to dwell on certain realities. Caroline must decide between them, but in doing so she fails to consider the girl Jessie. A young sociopath bent on her own way, Jessie Bell sees very good reasons to dredge up unpleasant realities-and to create new ones. Before long, this South Carolina landscape is riddled with the detritus of her intense jealousies, which have set astonishing and horrifying events into motion.
*IndieBRAG medallion recipient.
*Shelf Unbound Finalist for 2021 Best Indie Book Award.
*Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2021 Finalist in the category of Historical Fiction.
*American Fiction Awards 2021 Finalist in the category of Family Saga.
*Shortlisted for the 2021 Goethe Award by Chanticleer International.
*Book Excellence Awards 2022 Finalist in the Historical category.
*National Indie Excellence Awards 16th Annual Finalist in the category of Regional Fiction: Southeast.
"The social realism of Jane Austen meets the Southern gothic of Flannery O'Connor in this absorbing novel by Sophia Alexander. Silk: Caroline's Story explores questions of longing and desire, of jealousy and heartbreak, and of the fateful choices that shape one's destinyβor doom us completely. Alexander has a true gift for illuminating the most intimate desires of her historical characters in this richly drawn book that I couldn't put down." -Sarah Domet, critically-acclaimed author of The Guineveres.