I think this is one of the best books I've ever read. Originally a serial novel published in six parts, this is a 50-year story about a rich family in a small Alabama town whose son and heir marries a mysterious woman who shows up on the day of a catastrophic flood. Although McDowell's known as a horror author, this is mostly a southern gothic family drama, with lots of soap opera scheming and complex, shifting relationships between the cast. Though when the supernatural does intrude into the story it does so effectively and often brutally - this book has possibly the most distressing description of a monster murder I have ever read. Mostly though, it's just an extremely well-told story with a big cast of really engaging characters on a large scale that smoothly shifts and changes what exactly it's about and what it's doing in a way that's pretty masterful. It's a shame that McDowell is so obscure, because this book is fantastic and is definitely a lost classic.