Ordinary Truth

"e;With tough women and sensitive men, desertdry humor, hotsprings sensuality, heartbreaking secrets, escalating suspense, and a 360degree perspective on the battle over water, Richman's twentyfirstcentury western is riveting, wise, and compassionate."e;BOOKLIST, starred reviewWhen Nell Jorgensen buried her husband, she buried a piece of herselfand more than one secret. Now, thirtysix years later, the rift between Nell and her daughter Kate threatens to implode as Kate, now fortysix and a water manager for the Nevada Water Authority, plans to pipe water from a huge aquifer that lies beneath the family ranch to thirsty Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Nell's twentyoneyearold granddaughter Cassie intends to unearth those old secrets and repair the resentments that grew in their place. Throughout the novel, sparse and beautiful landscapes surround an emotional wilderness of love, loss, and family. Jana Richman is the awardwinning author of The Last Cowgirl, which won the 2009 Willa Award for Contemporary Fiction. A sixthgeneration Utahn, Jana was born and raised in Utah's west desert, the daughter of a smalltime rancher and a handwringing Mormon mother. With the exception of a few misguided years spent in New York City trying to make a fortune on Wall Street, she has lived her entire life west of the hundredth meridian. She writes about issues that threaten to destroy the essence of the Westand about passion, beauty, and love. Jana lives in Escalante, Utah.