Abstract:
The Letter, set in Perry County, Indiana, is about five generations of the Ollie and Sherman Willingham family. The horrors they are forced to live with are thought to be known only to the two of them; when in fact, a child knows. Privy to the murderous environment in which she lives, this child cannot find peace in her shortened life. The Letter, hidden away in Ollie’s journal, reveals things that almost destroy the sanity of their son, Clarence. This family learns early on that sometimes good people do bad things for the right reasons.