Following his release from prison, Mason Laws returns to the mountains of his youth where his estranged wife, Lavada, has been caring for his ailing father in Mason's absence. The marriage, however, is as damaged as his father's mind. Resentments crowd out Mason's desire to reconcile and instead of a true homecoming, Mason seeks the chance to build a new sanctuary for himself in the overall wilderness. However, the appearance of a malicious sheriff's deputy makes any hope of a better life impossible. As Mason and Lavada each set forth to recover themselves, they remain entrenched in the rural and rugged landscape that bore them and their own haunted histories. This moving story tells of the families we're born into, the families we make for ourselves, and how tightly woven are the ties that bind.
Reviews
"Charles Dodd White's writing is dark, gothic and steeped in a voice that is all his own.
A Shelter of Others
confronts what it means to be human."
-
Frank Bill
, author of
Donnybrook
"Charles Dodd White is one of the best young writers at work today, and
is his best book yet, a quiet masterpiece in the tradition of Ron Rash and Daniel Woodrell."
Kyle Minor
Praying Drunk