Other Shepards

In a house full of dark memories, two sisters try to escape the past

Holland Shepard is a responsible teenager who spends her life trying to keep her feelings inside. Her sister Geneva is the opposite—a bundle of nerves who dreads sentimentality, but suffers so acutely from nervous disorders that a ride in an elevator is enough to send her into a fit. The girls are like summer and fall—close, yet utterly distinct—but in their parents’ house, they are growing up almost as ghosts. Because this home belongs to John, Kevin, and Elizabeth—Holland and Geneva’s siblings, who died before the girls were born. Burdened by grief, their parents cannot bond with the daughters who replaced their original family, and so it is left to Holland to look out for herself and her sister. When a mysterious artist comes to paint a mural in their house, the girls get a glimpse into their family’s past and a chance to find themselves a place in its future. This ebook features a personal history by Adele Griffin including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.