Alive Nearby — Breena Clarke

Discover the rich stories of The People of Russell's Knob in the 20th and 21st centuries in Alive Nearby. This novel by best-selling historical fiction author Breena Clarke provides intricate backstories of the complex characters in Angels Make Their Hope Here. The novel explores how Russell's Knob, a hidden and marooned town in New Jersey's highlands, managed to preserve its existence and vibrant history despite slavery, war, and Jim Crow. Alive Nearby brings to life the characters central to the author's previous works, Stand The Storm and Angels Makes Their Hope Here, including the Smoots, Wilhelms, Murtaughs, and Coats. Through the letters of Amarantha Douglas to her absent son, we are transported to an imagined town that comes alive with its history. This retired school administrator weaves together stories of the past and present, asking what happens when we keep our dead Alive Nearby.