Virginia Pye

Virginia Pye’s debut novel, River of Dust, was chosen as an Indie Next Pick. Carolyn See in The Washington Post called it “intricate and fascinating;” Annie Dillard said it’s “a strong, beautiful, deep book;” Robert Olen Butler named it “a major work by a splendid writer;” and Caroline Leavitt described it as “an exotic gemstone of a novel” and “a masterpiece.” Virginia has published award-winning short stories in literary magazines, including the North American Review, the Tampa Review, and the Baltimore Review. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania. In Richmond, Virginia, where she lives, she has helped lead James River Writers, a literary nonprofit. Please visit her at www.virginiapye.com.

Her Mother’s Garden

Annie Burke floats aimlessly through her twenties until she bumps into a former high school crush: Freddie Marcatelli, captain of all the teams and still a local star. As they start to date, her suspicion that they’re from different universes is confirmed when she invites him to visit her mother’s beautiful garden. Annie relishes that magical place where she tries to hold onto her childhood and her parents as they age. But Freddie has other plans for them all. He comes from a family of morning glories that bloom and block out the light, while she is from a more delicate species that may or may not make it to the next season.