The Promise of Rest

It is 1993 and Wade Mayfield is leaving New York City to return to his family's home in North Carolina where he will be cared for and tended by his parents, Ann and Hutch, as he dies of AIDS. In "The Promise of Rest", death is never far away, and Ann and Hutch, now separated, must come together to care for their son in the last days of his life. Wade's quiet, yet stunning courage and strength cannot help but inspire them. After Wade's death, Ann and Hutch are astonished to discover Wade's secret-- a secret which leaves open the life-affirming possibility of continuing the Mayfield family, which seemed to have all but come to an end with Wade's death.

"The Promise of Rest" continues the unforgettable saga of the Mayfield family, chronicling the love among its members, their suffering, as well as their loyalty and duty to one another, while exploring the subjects of race and homosexuality. It is a rare and poignant novel about love and devotion, about death and dying, about dark times and the life that they can yield. With "The Promise of Rest", Reynolds Price gives us another novel of tremendous emotional depth and extraordinary truth.