By Susan Montanari
“Dry Spell,” by Avery Caswell is a literary plunge into the private lives of two mothers, each, in their own way, trying to steer their offspring down a particular path. Their children, however, have minds of their own.
Set in a small southern college town, the story will captivate readers with examples of Gullah customs practiced by Maggie Bliss. Practices that frighten her adult daughter Bella who is about to become a mother herself, and begins to treat her mother Maggie like a child.
A few houses away Eileen Simmons struggles to maintain the appearance of a picture-perfect family. Managing her four children, professor husband, home, and social life, she is perplexed by her teenage son, Nate, whose bouts of defiance fly in the face of her parenting style. What do you do when your son says, “no.”
The two households spin out of control and are destined to clash.
Avery Caswell’s lyrical voice casts a spell over readers as they are drawn into this expansive family drama. An award-winning writer and designer, Caswell’s previous work includes the novel “Salvation and Mother Load,” a collection of short stories, which Kirkus said was “stunning.” Lee Smith called her book “Luck, A Collection of Facts, Fiction, Poetry & Incantations,” “a feast for the eyes, the intellect, and the imagination.”
Caswell studied with Chris Offutt at Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Abigail DeWitt at Duke Writers’ Workshop, and holds MFAs in Design and in Creative Writing. Dry Spell was published by WayWord Books, January 2024.
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