Elissa Matthews

Where the River Bends Elissa Matthews

"... a forceful story about racial identity" (Kirkus Reviews)

Now an Amazon top 100 best seller!

"The plot takes some interesting and surprising turns... I was quickly captured by the story and found myself eagerly turning the pages to see where it would lead." (Amazon Customer Review)

Where the River Bends: In a turbulent and decisive period of American history, a mother and son fight to save themselves -- and each other -- from the destruction that sex, power and racism can cause.

On a rainy day in November 1931, two years after the crash of the New York Stock Exchange, Celeste Vandenholm's husband drives his car over a cliff and ends up in a coma. Celeste is left with a teenage son, an autistic daughter, a Park Avenue lifestyle and a negative bank balance. She struggles to hold her family together, but one setback after another sends her life spiraling out of control. But Celeste has a secret...

Until the night of his father's car crash, David Vandenholm's life is charmed and his future golden. As his family's finances plummet, he struggles to care for his sister, help support his mother, and maintain his sense of self in an increasingly hostile environment. When David discovers his mother's secret, he reacts with anger and blind emotion, triggering a deadly confrontation that claims victims in more ways than one.

Setting: New York City; Charlottesville, Virginia; Sculley's Bend, Virginia