Memories That Linger — John McCarty

An adolescent with conflicting urges, Sean McGinnis is torn between a religious calling and primal yearnings. During the family's annual hiatus from the fog-shrouded San Francisco to the bucolic redwoods of rural Sonoma County, Sean confronts the aftermath of an unexpected personal crisis. While struggling to honor his Catholic Confirmation pledges, the young lad must endure the family's financial collapse, religious demons, a wicked aunt, a prehistoric creature, government Black Coats, and eclectic country rascals. The times are a precursor to the tumultuous sixties just ahead. Women's lib, racial injustice, rock 'n' roll, adolescent hormones, and class bias are all awakening from a deep slumber. The McGinnises' resort hamlet of Rio Nido is also undergoing possible life-changing alteration as persistent rumors fly regarding the big band era's last hurrah. Will Sean's family and Rio Nido survive the seeming finality thrust upon them during the summer of 1953?