Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

Sing Them Home is a lovely, lyrical novel set in the small Nebraska town of Emlyn Springs. At the opening of the novel, Llewellyn Jones is struck by lightning and dies. We then learn the stories of his long-time mistress, Viney, his three children (Larken, Gaelen and Bonnie), and his wife (Hope) who was lost to a tornado long ago. The story of the town is revealed as well, and its rich Welsh cultural and historical ties. It's a long novel, but well worth the time because of beautiful writing, quirky and complex characters, and the portrait of small town life. Sing Them Home is the 2011 All Iowa Reads selection.