When an ambitious female lawyer becomes the victim of harassment, she must decide what's more important: her family's safety or the rights she's fighting for?
Set in Alabama in the early '80s,ย Family Lawย follows a young lawyer, Lucia, who is making a name for herself at a time when a woman in a courtroom is still a rarity. She'sย received plenty of threats for her workย extricating women andย children from troubled relationships, but her own happy marriage hasย always felt far removed from her work. When her mother's pending divorce brings teenaged Rachel into Lucia's orbit, Rachel finds herselfย captivatedย not onlyย with Lucia, but with the change Lucia represents. Rachel is out-spoken and curious, and she chafes at the rules her mother lays down as the bounds of acceptable feminine behavior. In Lucia, Rachel sees the potential for a new path into womanhood. But their unconventional friendship takes them both to a crossroads. When a moment of violence--a threat made good--puts Rachel in danger, Lucia has to decide how much her work means to her and what she's willing to sacrifice to keep moving forward.
Written in alternating voices from Lucia and Rachel's perspectives,ย Family Lawย is a fresh take on whatย the push for women's rights looks like to the ordinary women and girls who long for a world redefined. Addressing mother daughter relationships and what roles we can play in the lives of women who aren't our family, the novel examines how we shape each other and how we make a difference. The funny, strong, and yet tender-hearted female leads ofย Family Lawย illuminate a new kind of timelessย Southern ย fiction--atmospheric, rich, and with quietly surprising twists and nuances all its own.