Set in Oxford, Mississippi in December 2014, Yonder Breaks the Morning is the second novel by author/artist Laurie Parker. Ingeniously and poetically woven, it’s a tale of three complete strangers:
Glover Longest, an eighty-nine-year-old widower and World War Two veteran who enjoys picking up pecans from under the tree in his yard on Highway 334 and drinking coffee with the boys at the local greasy spoon. Like so many of the men who fought in that war, he doesn’t talk about it And even though he might forget what it was he came to Wal-Mart for, or what day of the week it is, the names and faces of his comrades from seventy years ago are burned indelibly into Glover’s memory, and hardly a day goes by that something doesn’t remind him of them...
Olivia Overbee, a seemingly shallow, fifty-one-year-old housewife and mom, who finds every last thing her husband does annoying, and who likes her nativity set as she does everything—lined up just so. Olivia has a Scripture written in calligraphy and framed by her vanity: Matthew 5:48—“Be ye perfectâ€â€”and that’s all the justification she needs to strive for her house, her family, and her appearance to be just that! The character of Olivia brings an element of humor into the story…
Dunbar Kirby, an intellectually gifted and musically talented twenty-year-old Ole Miss junior who aspires to eventually go to law school, but is currently mostly interested in partying with his fraternity…
The daily lives of these Mississippians are chronicled in a way that captures how there is always more to people than we realize, and as we follow this trio of characters, their individual stories end up coming together in unexpected and uncanny ways that result in redemption for them all. With endearing characters and authentic rather than stereotypical southern voice, the author touches on topics such as PTSD, alcoholism, OCD, and the importance of not texting while driving! Those who love poetry will appreciate a fourth character, Charlie, an unlikely member of the infantry with whom Glover served, a fellow Mississippian who found strength in the words of Wordsworth, Browning and the like, and who evokes the most poignant memories for the veteran..
Yonder Breaks the Morning is a refreshingly original southern story, a tribute to our precious and dwindling population of WWII veterans, a touching Christmas tale, and most of all, a tender account that reminds us that beneath the seemingly mundane there is something forever mysterious and miraculous, and people from different walks of life and generations are sometimes more linked than they realize. Fans of Parker’s The Turtle Saver will appreciate what she has crafted in prose with this one—a heartwarming, Deep South novel that will have readers smiling AND reaching for the tissue box! Learn more about the author at www.laurieparkerwriter.com.