Francis, Patry: Orphans of Race Point, The

When a horrific act of violence shatters the peaceful October night in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the fates of nine-year-olds Gus Silva and Hallie Costa become inextricably entwined. Told in alternating voices, The Orphans of Race Point traces their relationship over the next three decades as they try to come to terms with the past. What begins as a childhood friendship evolves into something stronger, but when a terrible tragedy exhumes the ghosts they thought they'd put to rest, their dreams are abruptly destroyed.

Hallie and Gus move forward to build separate lives, but Gus's hard-won peace is threatened when he meets a troubled woman who awakens memories of the childhood he has worked so hard to forget. Although helping her offers him a chance at the redemption he desperately desires, it will come at a devastating price. Turning around an unthinkable betrayal, this epic, all-consuming novel explores how far we will go for love, even if it means sacrificing everything?and in doing so, celebrates our capacity for faith, forgiveness, and hope.

Patry Francis was the author of All the Children Are Home, The Orphans of Race Point and The Liar's Diary, as well as the blog ?100 Days of Discipline for Writers.? Her short stories and poetry appeared in the Tampa Review, Antioch Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and American Poetry Review, among other publications. She was a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and twice the recipient of the Mass Cultural Council grant.