Family Shadows

Incest, rape, betrayal, kidnapping - the darkest shadows that fall upon man; shadows that break apart families and destroy lives. The McDeal's are one of the nicest families in the neighborhood. Until her death, Gracie McDeal, spends her days caring for her son, Carter, and her granddaughter, Jocelyn. Carter, a bus driver in Miami, observes life and is content as long as is mother and daughter are happy. And, Jocelyn, a typical teenager, takes her comfortable life for granted and trusts that her family will always be there for her. Thanksgiving Day, 1974, changes everything when Gracie dies of a ruptured aneurysm. Now father and daughter must learn to depend on each other and adjust to caring for themselves. Just when things seem to be returning to normal, Carter is arrested for kidnapping the teenager he has called his daughter for 17 years. The lie created by his mother about Jocelyn's heritage has finally caught up with him. Jocelyn McDeal's senior year in high school was supposed to be fun, but her beloved grandmother has just passed away, the birth certificate she needs to complete her college applications can't be found, and no one can verify her identity. Who is she? Where does she come from? Where does she belong? And, why was she lied to all these years? As the evidence mounts against her father and people begin to doubt his innocence, Jocelyn turns her back on him. Choices made years ago entangle several families and threaten to engulf them: a man may go to prison, a marriage may be destroyed, and the future of two young lovers may be cast forever in the shadows. Was Jocelyn kidnapped as a baby? Can Carter undo the lie? Will the one person who knows the truth emerge from the shadows? Family Shadows, a debut novel by Jeanne Moon Farmer, reminds us that family is not always biological, mistakes can be forgiven, the threads that bind us to other human beings are often stronger than we think, and there is significance in the life-dramas that teach us who we are.