Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans
by Rosalyn Story
Agate Bolden

As the shadow of Hurricane Katrina looms, Simon Fortier knows how he plans to face the storm—in his long-time home in the city's Treme neighborhood, just as he did through so many storms before. But when Katrina's waters rise and the city’s broken levees cause devastating floods, Simon disappears.      

It is up to his son Julian, a celebrated but down-on-his-luck trumpeter, to find him. Julian rushes home to the city he left years before, to search for a father with whom he'd been on difficult terms over preparing for the hurricane. Julian’s return to New Orleans brings him back in touch with figures from his past, loves and enemies both, and as his search for Simon takes him to the rural plot where Simon grew up, Julian is drawn deep into its troubles. While he tries to come to grips with his father's likely fate and struggles to regain his trumpet chops, Julian slowly gains a deeper, richer understanding of the father with whom he'd been at odds.

Wading Home is an important book about one of America’s most important cities, veiled in the form of a captivating page-turner. Lyrical, accessible, compelling, and populated by a broad, fully realized cast of supporting characters, its timeless story tells how this son strives to save his father: shaken to the core by the devastation of a city, he discovers the true meaning of home, family, and history.

Its recent selection to the Essence Book Club for the month of November solidifies Wading Home’s status as one of the most powerful post-Katrina New Orleans novels; one that truly captures the full scope of the storm’s impact both on the city and the people within it. 

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Praise for Rosalyn Story's Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans

"New Orleans natives struggle to recover their lives as well as their property after Hurricane Katrina.... Story’s musical background infuses her novel with a lyrical rhythm...as engaging characters rebuild their relationships and their city. The current oil-spill crisis only makes the hopefulness of this novel more moving, if heart-wrenching." —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Rosalyn Story's More Than You Know

“Rosalyn Story's debut novel is a mystery at heart—a page-turner enhanced by lyrical language and clever plot turns. Story, a violinist with the Fort Worth Symphony, knows how to play to a crowd, and she drives the narrative like a good straight-ahead quartet—taking a pop standard and playing it with panache while adding fresh changes and tempos that give the well-worn tune a whole new sound.… An engaging addition to the jazz-novel canon.” —Washington Post

“Romantic, deeply sentimental redemption story of smoky jazz clubs, beauty salons crackling with gossip, and the intricate, wide-ranging community that holds it all together.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Story weaves this tale of family ties and secrets back and forth between past and present, using finely drawn characters, jazz settings, and taut emotions to build tension toward reconciliation. The book's powerful evocation of love and family should appeal to a wide cross section of readers.” —Booklist

"More Than You Know is a moving grown-up read featuring well-drawn and familiar characters. This is the perfect choice for your next book club pick." —Essence

“Story writes with the plot-twisting precision of a veteran and a lyricism reminiscent of James Baldwin’s novel-turned-serenade Sonny’s Blues….Well done.” —BIBR