Reflection

by Diane Chamberlain

(1996)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Returning home twenty years after a tragic accident that caused the Pennsylvania Dutch townspeople of Reflection to condemn her, Rachel Huber cares for her ailing grandmother despite open hostility and finds allies in two childhood friends.

Twenty years ago, a terrible tragedy shattered the tranquillity of the small Pennsylvania Dutch town of Reflection. The residents of the village have never forgiven the one woman they blamed for what happened – Rachel Huber.

Rachel Huber returns to her hometown of Reflection to care for her ailing grandmother. Twenty years ago, a tragedy occurred in Reflection and people hold Rachel responsible. Now she finds herself the object of anger and hostility. She’s not without her allies, however. Lily Jackson, a young woman who was personally touched by the tragedy, perplexes everyone by treating Rachel with compassion. And Michael Stoltz, the minister of the Mennonite church, is elated by Rachel’s return.

He and Rachel were close friends as children, and that childhood bond quickly evolves into a loving relationship that must be hidden from the town. It is Rachel’s grandmother, Helen, however, who becomes her strongest advocate, surprising Rachel with her wise counsel and rare strength–and with a wealth of secrets she has long been concealing.