The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove: A Novel

A privileged Southern girl must choose between her heart and her family’s expectations in this heartfelt novel from the author of The Funeral Dress.

“Simply a wonderful book . . . bold and tender and memorable.”—Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

It’s hard to be your own person, especially if your name is Bezellia Grove.

Relationships are complicated in 1960s Nashville, where society is neatly ordered by class, status, and skin color. For the Groves, one of the city’s most prominent families, and particularly Bezellia, uniquely named for a fiery ancestor, it’s especially difficult. Bezellia is closer to the family’s black servants, her nanny, Maizelle, and the handyman, Nathaniel, than she is to her alcoholic mother and her distant, inaccessible father. When Bezellia has a clandestine affair with Nathaniel’s son Samuel, their romance is met with anger and fear from both families. In a time and place where rebelling against the rules carries a steep price, Bezellia Grove must decide which of her names will be the one that defines her.