The Sweet Taste of Muscadines: A Novel by Pamela Terry is a beautifully written story about love of family, of self, and of truth.
Twins Lila Bruce Breedlove and Henry Breedlove learn that their mother, Geneva, died suddenly at their family home in Wesleyan, Georgia. Mysteriously, she was found in the muscadine arbor with a spoon in her hand while in bedclothes. To their knowledge, Geneva had never stepped foot in the tiny grape arbor.
Both Lila and Henry left home after graduating from high school. Lila, a widow after twenty-two years of marriage, lives in Maine and is a successful weaver whose one-of-a-kind creations are eagerly sought after. Henry and his lover, Andrew, live in Rhode Island and run a successful art business. Their younger sister Abigail still lives in Wesleyan, Georgia. The twins return to Wesleyan for their mother’s funeral.
Lila and Henry have mixed feelings about their mother, Geneva. They’ve never felt close to her and always had a sense that she resented them. Geneva was closest to Abigail; the two considered themselves “best friends.” Their father, a Baptist minister, died several years before while a chaplain in Vietnam.
The story is written in the voice of Lila as she observes her home town. As she says, the South is not for the faint of heart. Its hardfast traditions are sacred, and when the family learns Geneva had dictated she will not have a funeral, the town is scandalized. It’s unheard of in the South. Even criminals have funerals. But, true Southern hospitality shines through shock as family and friends plan a gathering at Geneva’s home.
As Lila and Henry gather stories from friends and relatives, they realize their mother had a hidden life, a life shrouded in lies. One thing leads to another as the twins delve into their parents’ hidden secrets. The mystery leads them to Scotland where they discover their family’s past.
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is a marvelous novel that kept me spellbound. A native southerner, author Pamela Terry offers vivid descriptions of its people, landscape and weather. I could feel the heavy southern summer air, smell the rich soil. Her metaphors are stunning. Lila, speaking of her twin brother: “….the love I felt for my brother draped itself around me like an angel’s wings.” This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.