Where the Creek Runs

Hannah McMollison comes from what appears to be the perfect south Mississippi family of the early 1900s. She is bright, well-mannered, devout and eager to please her parents, especially her father, Bill. But what looks harmonious and loving from a distance is a home filled with deep, buried secrets. Her father, obsessed with power, image and political gain, is willing to go to any length to achieve success. Nothing can get in the way of his ambition. Her mother, properly submissive, endures with dignity and grace her husband’s demands and does all in her power to maintain peace in the household. Hannah’s older sister, the more assertive Katherine, breaks away from their father’s dominance and marries against his wishes, but Hannah quietly maintains compliant behavior well into her high school years. Until Thomas Stokes comes along. Thomas, the son of John Stokes (her father’s friend and fellow politician), meets Hannah and sweeps her off her feet. Love is stamped indelibly in Hannah’s heart, but the relationship, seen as detrimental to political goals, is unacceptable to both fathers. The ensuing decisions ignite the temper of Bill McMollison, ultimately forcing Hannah to make a daring escape. A powerful and beautifully-written story of unrequited love, Where the Creek Runs is a compelling literary debut from Mississippi author Mary Abraham. As Hannah learns over time, it is not enough to simply wish for change; she gains the strength and internal resolve to follow her heart—even though it requires defying expectation and convention.