From American master Richard Ford, a memoir: his first work of
nonfiction, a stirring narrative of memory and parental love
How is it that we come to consider our parents as people with rich and
intense lives that include but also exclude us? Richard Ford's
parents--Edna, a feisty, pretty Catholic-school girl with a difficult
past; and Parker, a sweet-natured, soft-spoken traveling salesman--were
rural Arkansans born at the turn of the twentieth century. Married in
1928, they lived "alone together" on the road, traveling throughout the
South. Eventually they had one child, born late, in 1944.
For Ford, the questions of what his parents dreamed of, how they loved
each other and loved him become a striking portrait of American life in
the mid-century. Between Them is his vivid image of where his life
began and where his parents' lives found their greatest satisfaction.
Bringing his celebrated candor, wit, and intelligence to this most
intimate and mysterious of landscapes--our parents' lives--the
award-winning storyteller and creator of the iconic Frank Bascombe
delivers an unforgettable exploration of memory, intimacy, and love.