In What the Bayou Saw, the familiar adage, “The truth will set you free” is portrayed in vivid and sometimes uncomfortable detail. Community college instructor, Sally Stevens harbors a secret that eats away at everything she touches, mostly her marriage and her soul. When Sally’s favorite student implicates three of her other students in a brutal assault, the burden of her past comes back to haunt her. Can she find healing from harmful traditions and the secret she swore to keep?
This isn’t a formulaic story where readers will sit back in their easy chair able to predict what happens next. Layer by layer, the story unfolds exposing the cruelty of racism and the bitter pill of betrayal, mixed with the beauty and heartache of a hidden friendship.
Each character has a distinct and memorable voice. It’s astonishing how one author can capture the nuance of numerous characters whether they are young or older, black or white, female or male. From Colored Town to Normal, Illinois, to post-Katrina New Orleans, Lacy takes readers on an unforgettable journey through hatred, lies, betrayal, and redemption.
I must agree with Julie Lessman's endorsement of What the Bayou Saw when she writes,"There is a blazing light on the horizon of women’s fiction, and her name is Patti Lacy."
Article comments
1 - Bill Sherman
Normal, Illinois? Having lived there most of my adult life, I'm curious as what Lacy has to say about the place . . .