The Healing of Harold Lily — Wiley Blevins

High school couple Robert Lee and Penny have been torn apart by a bitter town feud. Their parents, on opposite sides of the battle, forbid them from seeing each other. When Penny shows up at the wake of Robert Lee's mamaw, she arrives with a plan that will keep them together. Forever. Once this unconventional plan is revealed, Robert Lee must decide if he will go along with it. If he does, he keeps the girl of his dreams, but loses his life dream of leaving the mountains and becoming "somebody." While Robert Lee struggles with his decision and Penny's constant need for resolution, he is thrown into the middle of the town conflict. Amidst floods, fire, fierce courtroom battles, betrayals, and death, the young couple struggle to survive. This Appalachian take on the classic "Romeo and Juliet" story is the debut adult novel by successful children's author and early reading expert Wiley Blevins. Based on his childhood in West Virginia and a day that he says "changed everyone's life he knew," Blevins weaves a sweeping tale of a troubled town attempting to heal from deep wounds with Southern musings on life and death. Filled with eccentric characters, humor, and a heartbreaking ending, this story will linger long past the last page.