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"engaging relationship novel"
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 25, 2003

After living for the past fifteen years in New Zealand and photographing much of the world, Jessie Ryder returns to her hometown of Edenville, Texas near Austin. Jessie suffers from a debilitating illness that will leave her blind, so she needs to see her biological daughter Lila one last Read more...

"A tearjerker!"
Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted April 14, 2003

Jessie Ryder has finally come back home. She knows she should have contacted her sister Luz but she was afraid Luz would discourage her from coming after sixteen years. Jessie is back for one reason and one reason only. She wants to see the daughter she gave to Read more...

"Expertly Crafted Novel"
Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted April 27, 2003

Many a historical romance author has tried to make the crossover to contemporary fiction. In rare instances, authors excel equally in both genres, and Susan Wiggs is one of those rare exceptions. With her latest novel, she explores the bond between sisters Jessie Ryder and Luz Ryder Benning. Read more...

"Earth-Shattering and Emotional!!"
Reviewed by Tracey West
Posted June 8, 2003

Jessie Ryder has returned to Edenville, Texas. After 16 years, she has returned to see the daughter that she gave up at birth to her sister and her husband. Jessie is losing her eyesight and wishes to see her daughter, Lila one last time. Jessie's return brings Read more...

The hardcover debut of award-winning author Susan Wiggs, HOME BEFORE DARK is a contemporary novel that of the emotional story of the lives and loves of two sisters in the Texas Hill Country. Facing a life-altering crisis, Jessie Ryder returns home to Texas to find the child she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago, to her very own sister, Luz.

Summary

In her career as a photojournalist, free-spirited Jessie Ryder has seen the world through her camera lens. But she's never traveled far enough to escape a painful moment that has haunted her for the past sixteen years: the day she gave her baby daughter away. Now she faces a life- altering crisis, and she's decided to fix the broken pieces of her heart and seek out Lila, even if it means she has to upset the world of Lila's adoptive mother, her very own sister, Luz.

Jessie and Luz are drawn into an emotional tug-of-war filled with moments of unexpected humor, surprising sweetness and unbearable sadness. And for Jessie, life's bittersweet irony plays its hand. She meets Dustin Matlock, a young father who has survived devastating loss. Jessie begins to see the hopeful possibilities that lie buried in the most wrenching tragedies. But as the pain, regrets and mistakes of the past rise to the surface, a new picture emerges--a picture filled with hope and promise and the redeeming power of the human heart.