The tie that binds

In his critically acclaimed first novel, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough. Narrated by her neighbour, Edith's tragedies unfold: a tough childhood, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. She is a woman who sacrifices everything in the name of family - until she is forced to reclaim her freedom in one dramatic and unexpected gesture. Breathtaking and truthful, "The Tie That Binds" is a powerful tribute to the demands of rural life, and to the tenacity of the human spirit. '"Plainsong" is beautifully crafted, alive and quietly magnificent. I read it in one mesmerizing sitting. I had no choice; it wouldn't let me go' - Roddy Doyle.