John Dufresne

Deep in the Shade of Paradise

Reissues of three favorite novels by “a generous and lyric storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) known for his tragicomic voice and unforgettable characters.

Welcome to Shiver-de-Freeze, a boot-shaped precinct deep in the Louisiana swamp, famous for its healing waters and curious fauna. Grisham Loudermilk is marrying Ariane Thevenot at Paradise, the family’s ancestral home, and we're here for the wedding. But reason and love, it would seem, keep little company in Paradise these days: Grisham’s cousin Adlai Birdsong has fallen desperately in love with the bride-to-be. Adlai’s ill-advised courtship proceeds even as his daddy, Royce, struggles to recall his past in the face of Alzheimer’s; as Father Pat McDermott realizes his passion for the mother of the bride; as the conjoined twins, Tous-les-Deux, train their eyes on Boudou Fontana, the last of the star-crossed Fontana clan. And just when it seems that Adlai must resign himself to a prolonged season of bachelorhood, Miranda Ferry, Grisham’s recent lover, wanders into town unawares.

With his signature tragic-comic voice and cast of unforgettable and lively characters, Dufresne explores love, death, imagination, and memory. Reading group guide available.

John Dufresne’s other works of fiction include Johnny Too Bad. He is also the author of a book on fiction writing: The Lie That Tells a Truth. He lives in Dania Beach, Florida.