The Evening Shades

The Evening Shades by Lee Martin

The follow-up to The Bright Forever, Pulitzer Prize finalist, The Evening Shades explores the lives of two lonely individuals in a small Midwestern town as they gradually uncover their secrets, both to themselves and to each other.

In the autumn of 1972, Edith Green, a widow living alone in Mt. Gilead, Illinois, makes a bold decision to rent a room in her home to Henry Dees, a socially awkward stranger passing through town. It’s a risky choice—she knows nothing about him—but Edith can no longer bear the solitude of her life. Henry, haunted by a tragic past from his hometown of Tower Hill, Indiana, is weighed down by guilt over his role in a little girl’s death. Struggling to come to terms with his past, Henry is uncertain how to face his future. 

The Evening Shades is a moving and suspenseful story of love rediscovered in middle age, filled with joy yet complicated by secrets and painful histories. At the heart of the story is the bereaved family of the little girl, who hold their own secrets about Henry’s past and the mysterious disappearance of the man responsible for their daughter’s death. With themes of resilience, forgiveness, and love in the face of life’s challenges, The Evening Shades is a poignant exploration of the fragile beauty in our everyday lives.