Of Wrath and Dust

New to California, the Severn kids trust their mother to keep her promise: as soon as they find Papa they’ll go back to Oklahoma and reclaim their home from the dust. But their faith begins to falter when their search leads them to the small town of Confluence. Instead of finding Papa there, Mama discovers his best friend from back home, Bill Baker, who’s married to the daughter of the richest man in town. Baker gives the Severns a place to stay, but that doesn’t explain why Mama’s so quick to give up looking for Papa. None of it makes sense to the Severn kids until they overhear folks in town referring to Mama as “Baker’s slut.”

Confusion grows into hatred as the Severn kids come of age during World War II. And as they struggle through the Fifties and Sixties their wrath gives way to revenge.