To the bright lights of a sparkling river town come migrants, shysters, treasure seekers, and people hungry for the zing of adrenaline fueled by card games and one-armed bandits. Lolly Cooper, though, arrives with a near-impossible purpose - to find evidence that a recently deceased childhood friend reached a heaven welcoming the souls of lost or grieving women. Finding such clues should relieve the guilt she has carried since once having betrayed that friend, but will it also soothe her own hungry heart?

Lolly befriends a blind Negro musician for his quiet courage and soulful music. Though 1960s taboos limit their friendship in public, there's something special about him that draws her closer. He, meanwhile, plots to escape town for the civil rights protests roiling the South.

To her surprise, Lolly discovers that she's pregnant by the husband she recently fled and is planning to divorce. Now, a simple divorce decree will not fix the trouble she's in. Instead, she channels some of the musician's courage to stage an unorthodox break that might finally set her free ... if it doesn't kill her.

JoJo Riley compares "The Mercy of Snowmelt" to the evolution of a character removed from the "known" in Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here, the hopefulness of faith in Anne LaMott's stories, the humanity of Elizabeth Strout's Lucy by the Sea, and the unexpected romantic encounter of Ann Patchett's Commonwealth. She also mentions the heartbreak and longing of Leif Enger's Virgil Wander. Hats off to all these authors. Hope you enjoy this read as well.

This story and its book design are entirely the work of humans.