‘Falling Home’ touching Southern fiction

Cassie Madison left Walton, Ga., 15 years ago for the bright lights of New York City. She never intended to darken her hometown’s city limit signs again. But as the old saying goes, “Never say never.”

When Cassie’s sister Harriet calls to tell her their daddy is dying and wants to see her before it's too late, Cassie finds her feet pointed southward and once again is plunged into the chaos and uproar that is her estranged family.

In Karen White’s novel “Falling Home,” she takes a look at the ever-changing dynamics of one Southern family’s life and how a little give and take from everyone is needed to survive.

Arriving home, Cassie finds that she must not only deal with the years-long separation from her sister, who had married Cassie’s high school sweetheart (the event that had prompted Cassie to leave home in the first place), she had nieces and nephews to meet and get to know, plus a whole town full of folks who remember her from way back when. She also finds herself becoming reacquainted with Sam Parker, the former high school nerd who has grown up, filled out and is looking mighty good as the town doctor.

After her father’s death, Cassie is determined to settle the estate and head back to her life in New York, but when she comes across a box full of letters that hint at a mysterious woman in her father’s life before he married and the possibility of another sibling, Cassie reluctantly stays to sleuth out the mystery. In the process she soon finds that maybe coming home isn’t too bad after all. And when another devastating tragedy strikes the family, Cassie is glad she is there to lend her love, support and help the best she can.

It’s interesting to note that White first released “Falling Home” in 2002 with another publisher. When the rights reverted back to her after moderate sales, she had the chance to rework the story, adding new chapters with the viewpoints of Cassie’s adoring niece Maddie and Cassie’s sister Harriet, which pull the story together and give it a multigenerational feel.

“Falling Home” is a lovely Southern novel that will warm the reader’s soul.