Literary Fiction · DarkSeven generations of an Alabama family in one house
The Keepers of the House
Seven generations of an Alabama family, and the secret that shapes its land
The Howland family has lived in the same house in rural Alabama for seven generations, and has built a community around it. Its characters include William Howland, the last male Howland to live in the house, his granddaughter Abigail and Margaret, a Black housekeeper. It looks at a long-established white Southern family and how it responds to changing social norms.
More about this book
Who
William Howland, the fifth of the name; his granddaughter Abigail; Margaret, a Black housekeeper; and Abigail's husband, John Tolliver, a politician.
World
Rural Alabama, around the Howland house in Madison City and Wade County.
What makes it different
It covers seven generations of one family. Grau's condemnation of racist rhetoric during the Civil Rights campaigns in Alabama drew attacks from the Ku Klux Klan, including a cross burned on her lawn in Metairie, Louisiana. It won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Feel
A steady family saga, serious in tone.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Behind the book
When the book was published, Grau's condemnation of racist rhetoric during the Civil Rights campaigns in Alabama drew attacks from the Ku Klux Klan, including a cross burned on her lawn in Metairie, Louisiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The Keepers of the HouseWikipedia