Richard Ford's parents?Edna, a feisty, pretty Catholic-school girl with a difficult past; and Parker, a sweet-natured, soft-spoken traveling salesman?were rural Arkansans born at the turn of the twentieth century. Married in 1928, they lived ?alone together? on the road, traveling throughout the south. Eventually they had Richard, born in 1944.
For Ford, the questions of what his parents dreamed of?how they loved each other and loved him?become a striking portrait of American life in the mid-century.
Bringing his celebrated candor, wit, and intelligence to this most intimate and mysterious of landscapes?our parents' lives?the award-winning storyteller delivers an unforgettable exploration of memory, intimacy, and love.