An emotional, complex work that presents difficult, important questions at a high level of craft.

In its account of almost half a century in the lives of two white Southern sisters and of the African Americans whose experiences are inextricable from theirs, The Shade Tree is brutally personal, heartbreakingly political – and remarkably written. Theresa Shea has combined boldness and subtlety with swaths of compassion to come up with a novel that’s both complicated and ferociously clear.

In her nuanced portrait of families riven by race and sex, Theresa Shea offers a searing indictment of Jim Crow’s corrosive influence that, if unleashed and unquestioned, can make monsters of us all. Beautifully and unflinchingly written, this is a novel for our times.

“Theresa Shea will surely have more to teach us in her future work.” The Winnipeg Review

“Shea is a gifted writer with a deft hand.” The Daily Tribune

“Shea doesn’t provide easy answers, but shows us what women faced and face, in fluid, beautiful language.” Alberta Views

“Gripping. Heart-wrenching. Thought-provoking. Riveting. Haunting. Unputdownable. … I will not soon forget this book.” Turn the Page blog, Lisa Morguess

Theresa Shea’s The Shade Tree reminds me thematically of Lee’s novel. It, too, is set in the south of the States in a similar, though far more expansive, time period; it follows the lives of two young white girls – sisters – coming of age and exploring their positions in the world as white, as women, and as white women. Where the novel differs from Lee’s, though, is that it gives Sliver Lanier, a Black midwife, a voice of her own.

This story had me hooked from the very first line, and I read on eagerly waiting to find out how it progressed…Avoiding spoilers, I can only say it was a heartwarming conclusion to an otherwise difficult and challenging story, leaving me pleased at time well spent reading.

Mesmerizing, engrossing, and brilliantly plotted, this is an achievement that will echo long after the last page is turned.

The Shade Tree is compellingly written and meticulously crafted, with short, tight chapters, richly drawn characters, a tautly woven narrative, and precise, evocative descriptive passages. It is an unsettling but rewarding read.