Orphans of the Living
A Novel
by Kathy Watson
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Pub Date Sep 30 2025 | Archive Date Not set
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Description
In the shadow of the Great Depression and Jim Crow south of the 1930s, an impoverished white family escapes—with the help of Black sharecroppers—from a vengeful Mississippi plantation overseer intent on lynching them. Arriving in California to start a new life, Barney and Lula Stovall are haunted by the past, the children they’ve left behind, and the daughter they cannot love or protect.
Orphans of the Living follows the peripatetic life of the Stovall family, woven from four parallel stories: Barney and Lula Stovall, and two of their nine children, Glen and Nora Mae.
Their California sojourn—from their hardscrabble dairy farm, to the brig at the San Francisco Presidio, to the building of the Golden Gate Bridge—lead them on paths toward each other and forgiveness. But redemption doesn't come to them all.
A Note From the Publisher
Kathy Watson spent years as a public relations executive and journalist, including six as editor-in-chief of Oregon Business magazine, before embarking on a new career as a chef and restaurant owner. This is her debut novel. She lives in Hood River, Oregon, where she writes, leads a chefs collective, and runs and hikes the Columbia River Gorge with her husband Stu and Satchel, the world’s best dog.
Advance Praise
"In Orphans of the Living, Kathy Watson gives us an unflinching look at how Americans lived, worked, loved, and dreamed in the first half of the twentieth century. Watson brings history to life on the page bravely, honestly, and generously."—Ann Hood, author of The Stolen Child
“The language of this debut novel makes the Stovall family come alive. The images are fresh and poignant. Each voice is unique, memorable and invites us to the Southwest and West of Steinbeck and Barbara Kingsolver. I look forward to more novels written by this story master. So will you.”—Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times best-selling author of Across the Crying Sands
“Orphans of the Living is a masterpiece of writing as spare as the hardscrabble landscapes that never quite support its characters. Watson’s gift is that she weaves the threads of redemption like sinews that bind this poignant narrative into a story well worth knowing. . . . Brava to this debut novelist.”—Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness
"In this stark and poignant novel, Kathy Watson crafts a heart-wrenching story of poverty, injustice, and fractured familial relationships before, during, and after America's Great Depression. Through intimate and skillful storytelling, Watson weaves the intertwined stories of a misguided dreamer, a hardened wife, a resentful son, and a troubled daughter (whose story alone left me bereft) as they navigate their hardscrabble lives in the American South and West. To what end will each of them go to find forgiveness? Redemption? An impressive debut." —Ashley E. Sweeney, author of The Irish Girl
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781647429782 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 352 |
