The Flower Sisters

(Paperback)

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Drawing on the little-known true story of a tragic event that took place in the author's Missouri hometown at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this beautifully written novel, told through twin storylines fifty years apart, explores the unpredictable effect of split-second decisions, small-town tragedy, and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations. Sure to resonate with fans of Daniel Woodrell, Donna Everhart, Ellen Marie Wiseman, and Jeannette Walls. At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violet's slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them for-Violet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each other's world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lamb's Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sister's life forever changed. Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Rose's doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaper-where she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flats' history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast. For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dash-a preacher who found his calling that fateful night-and others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.

Reviews

Praise for Michelle Collins Anderson:

Michelle Collins Anderson delivers what every booklover craves in her absorbing and exhilarating debut. Combined with an intriguing historical event and charismatic characters with deeply held secrets, the end result is a mesmerizing story about reconciling guilt and letting go of the past so new beginnings are possible. Andersons talent is undeniable and held me spellbound until the very last page. Donna Everhart, author of The Saints of Swallow Hill on The Flower Sisters

A vivid blend of sensorial writing, historical detail, and memorable characters await on the pages of The Flower Sisters. Poignant, compelling, and surprising, here is an insightful story of the weight of long-held secrets and the resulting hunger for truth. Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful

"Anderson weaves a rich and poignant tale of a small Ozarks town's factual tragedy, its generational secrets and the juxtapose of searching and belonging. Vivid and evocative, this is a debut to savor." Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series on The Flowers Sisters

Michelle writes stories with a big heart, on family and human relationships and the inevitability of change and loss. David Haynes, author of The Full Matilda

Author Bio

Michelle Collins Anderson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks - a place and a way of life that has shaped her writing. She has a Bachelor of Journalism (complete with internship at her tiny hometown paper) and an MFA from Warren Wilson College. She's been an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and Stephens College, taught creative writing at her local elementary school, and served on the board of The Missouri Review. Her short fiction has appeared in Nimrod International Journal, Literal Latte, Midwestern Gothic, Elder Mountain- A Journal of Ozarks Studies, Bosque, The Lascaux Review, Pooled Ink, and Storied Hills- An Anthology of Contemporary Ozark Fiction, alongside several of her Ozark writing heroes including Daniel Woodrell.She lives with her family just outside Kansas City, Missouri in a 130_x2011_year_x2011_old Victorian house and can be found online at MichelleAnderson.me.