Floodmarks - by Dale Neal (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In 1984, cub reporter George Flack hopes for his first big story at the Asheville Citizen-Times. Instead, he is assigned a cranky reader: Miss Nellie Lusk, who demands a correction and apology after the newspaper mistakenly listed her among the dead in the devastating Flood of 1916. As George uncovers the truths behind her family's losses and her recovery from a crippling case of polio, he is forced to confront the secrets he has long buried. Decades later, he returns to Asheville on the brink of Hurricane Helene, seeking reconciliation with both the town and his own past. Resonant and quietly haunting, this reflective novella evokes the small-town depth and tenderness of Allan Gurganus, exploring nostalgia, regret, and the fragile burdens of survivor's guilt.

About the Author

A prize-winning novelist, journalist, and teacher, Dale Neal is author of Kings of Coweetsee; The Woman with the Stone Knife; Appalachian Book of the Dead, shortlisted for the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award; Cow Across America, Novello Literary Award winner; and The Half-Life of Home. His essays and reviews have appeared in Our State, North Carolina Literary Review, Appalachian Journal and elsewhere. He earned an MFA in creative writing at Warren Wilson College. He lives in Asheville.