Byrd, Kim Church's debut novel, will be published by Dzanc Books in March 2014.
Addie Lockwood believes in books. Roland Rhodes believes in blues guitar. Coming of age in the small-town South of the 1970s, they form an unlikely friendship that makes each of them feel, if only for a little while, extraordinary.
They meet again in their disillusioned thirties, this time in California, where Roland’s music career has landed him. Venice Beach is exotic, a world away from North Carolina and Addie’s cloistered life as a bookstore clerk.
But when their whirlwind reunion leaves Addie pregnant, reality sets in. Conflicted, unready to be a mother, she gives birth and surrenders her baby for adoption without telling Roland, little imagining how the secret will shape their lives.
Told through sharply drawn vignettes and Addie's letters to her son, Byrd is an unforgettable story about making and living with the most difficult, intimate, and far-reaching of choices.
"Brilliant writing -- lively and heartbreaking at every turn." – Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author of Life After Life
“[A] riveting debut." – Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena and Nothing Gold Can Stay
"Addie is a particular woman -- a character that will linger and grow beloved -- but she could also be your sister, your roommate from college, a friend in the neighborhood. She’s still struggling in her thirties to make sense of old loves and loss that keeps cycling back into her life. A successful woman in the world, her heart remains in flux until love that can’t be budged finally takes root in her. Kim Church has imagined a world of good people missing the mark as good people sometimes do. They’re familiar, a comfort. I will never forget the impact of the final pages." – Patricia Henley, National Book Award finalist and author of Other Heartbreaks
"This protagonist is so appealing, with her unflinching moral candor, her mistakes based on generous instincts. The prose is lilting, joyous. This novel—about young lives that start out full of promise, falter, then recover—is a hard luck story that will make you feel good." – Debra Monroe, author of On the Outskirts of Normal
"Fresh, riveting, and brilliantly written.The richly layered story explores motherhood and its attendant relationships in ways that break new ground, both stylistically and thematically. Already recognized for her work in the short story form, Kim Church should gain national attention with this original and important novel." – Angela Davis-Gardner, author of Butterfly's Child and Plum Wine
"Beautiful, dream-like language ... connects us directly with the experience of the characters. It goes right to the heart, without being filtered through the brain, the way a smell connects you to a memory." – Nancy Peacock, New York Times notable author of Life Without Water and The Life & Times of Persimmon Wilson