In today’s episode 181, we visit with Susan Zurenda, author of “Bells of Eli,” a compelling coming of age story where culture, family, friends, bullies, and lovers propel two young people to unite to guard each other in small-town Green Branch, SC where love, hope, and connectedness ultimately triumph.

In 1959, three-year-old Eli Winfield has a horrible, preventable accident that leaves him permanently scarred and the victim of vicious bullying. His first cousin, Delia Green, becomes his fierce defender and advocate, and the pair develop an inseparable bond. As they reach adolescence, their relationship evolves into a deeper, more complex love. Bells for Eli is a lyrical and tender exploration of the relationship between cousins drawn together through tragedy in a love forbidden by social constraints and a family whose secrets must stay hidden.

Jill McCorkle, author of “Life and Life” says says Susan Beckham Zurenda’s “finely detailed, debut novel, paints a vivid portrait of Adeline Green who is growing up in the seventies and maneuvering class differences, peer pressure, and first love. The sexual confines of her southern town as well as taboo family secrets from the past, bring her face to face with life changing decisions and losses in ways both moving and profound.”

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Charlotte Readers Podcast is a proud member of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network and the Queen City Podcast Network.