Dimensions
137 x 202 x 20mm
When Callie Anne hears the news that human bones have been found buried on the grounds of the old Starlite Drive-In, her heart starts pounding. It has been decades since Callie Anne has returned to the drive-in where she and her parents once lived while her father worked as its caretaker. She knows instantly whose bones they must be, and a few artifacts found in the makeshift grave send Callie Anne's thoughts back to the summer before she turned thirteen, the summer when everything changed.
It's1956, and a bad injury to Callie Anne's father's leg means an extra hand is needed for the upkeep of the Starlite. When Charlie Memphis-a handsome drifter with a mysterious past-is sent over to fill the position and take up residence in the drive-in's main building, Callie Anne's cold, proud father, Claude Junior, reluctantly accepts the stranger's help. Callie Anne is instantly smitten with Charlie Memphis's rugged looks, cowboy style, and gentlemanly manners, but she's not the only one. Her agoraphobic mother, Teal, sees in the stranger the gentle nature her own husband lost years ago.
Callie Anne soon becomes suspicious of Charlie Memphis's visits to the house while Claude Junior is running the theater's projector, and she eventually discovers the passionate affair blooming between Teal and the drifter. Charlie Memphis is even able to coax Teal out of the house with the promise of a new life together. Meanwhile, Claude Junior's abusive behavior towards his wife and daughter worsens, and Charlie Memphis begins stepping in at the first sign of trouble, leaving Claude Junior powerless in his own home.
Told through the eyes of Callie Anne, a lovable and curious tomboy reminiscent of Scout Finch, THE STARLITE DRIVE-IN is a vivid snapshot of 1950s America. A compelling first novel infused with hope, tragedy, and suspense, Callie Anne's story will strike a chord with readers both young and old.
