Contemporary
A multigenerational tale of family secrets, betrayal, and redemption. Spanning continents and decades, it weaves fact and fiction to explore identity, resilience, and forgiveness.
Paperback
Gryff Morgan, a church-going Kentucky family man, hides a dark secret. Living under an assumed identity to avoid extradition to Argentina, not even his twin sons, Travis and Chase, know their comfortable lives are built on the proceeds of drug smuggling. Only his wife, Gwenna Garland—a failed singer—knows the truth of his Welsh origins.
In South Wales, Huw and Rhys grow up believing their father died at sea before they were born. Their mother, Shirley, was left heartbroken, never revealing she was pregnant when tragedy drove him away.
Three decades later, during NATO peacekeeping in Sarajevo, a chance meeting between Chase and a British soldier sets events in motion, bringing the four brothers’ worlds together. Betrayal and an explosive love triangle lead to a journey from Kentucky to South Wales, where family matriarch Lowri still waits for her missing son.
As secrets unravel, Gryff and Gwenna’s daughter, Country music superstar Greer Garland, takes on the task of reuniting her fractured family. But can love and forgiveness heal decades of lies, or will the past prove too devastating to overcome?
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
The pleasure was entirely mine to obtain an advance copy of Jo Chinn’s debut novel, Under the Hickory Tree. A dramatic family tale unfolds in the Welsh Valleys and migrates to America. The story comes together in a satisfying circle, but is not without its casualties. The author has skilfully presented this complex sequence of events as an easy to follow page turner. Helpful family tree reference pages cleverly support the reader without spoiling any of the unpredictable plot twists. Belt in for a truly believable compilation of virtually unbelievable events. A continuous cascade of turn-taking, pushing the reader to the edge of their seat in anticipation of the next dramatic development. A captivating story of two halves, comfortably paced and containing equal enthral. Expertly researched and credibly set at multiple locations across decades in time. There really is something for every reader to connect with here. My disappointment at the end was based wholly on the knowledge that I would miss the characters. The perfect binge read for book clubs and holidays.
