The Keepers of the House

Abigail was the last keeper of the house, the last to know the Howland family's secrets. Now, in the name of all her brothers and sisters, she must take her bitter revenge on the small-minded Southern town that shamed them, persecuted them, but could never destroy them.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1965, The Keepers of the House is Shirley Ann Grau's masterwork, a many-layered indictment of racism and rage that is as terrifying as it is wise. When shocking facts come to light about the late William Howland's relationship with a black housekeeper, the community quickly gathers to vent its outrage upon Abigail, the last remaining member of the esteemed Howland family. Shaken and defiant, enmeshed in racism and familial obligations, Abigail is compelled to go back through her family history in order to understand herself, her father, and the South.