The Half Brother

Charlie Garrett was never sure of his place during his Atlanta childhood. His dad died in Vietnam before he was born; he always felt like a guest in his stepfather’s wealthy family. It is only as a young teacher at the shabby-genteel Abbott School in Massachusetts that he can finally find himself. He begins his reinvention, falling in love with May Bankhead, the school chaplain’s beautiful daughter, and leading a charmed life—until he breaks both her heart and his own. May leaves Abbottsford, he thinks forever.
 
Nearly a decade later, the fragile peace that Charlie has built is shattered by the arrival of his golden-boy half brother—and the return of his first love. Trying to set things right, Charlie pushes his brother and May together, inadvertently creating a triangle of secrets, regrets, and desires, that threatens to consume them all.

Holly LeCraw is the author of The Swimming Pool. Her work has appeared in The Millions, Post Road, and various anthologies, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A native of Atlanta, she now lives outside Boston with her family.