by Barb Lanell (Author)
Her peculiar great-grandmother warned her of the family curse. But that's when she believed in magic, seventh tribes, and petal people. Not anymore. Cassandra Cleopatra Collard is all grown-up. Grown up and in trouble. At twenty-five she finds herself in the tabloids of the local gossip column accused of starting a strange, freakish fire, along with bizarre cultist behavior unbefitting to her bible belt small town. Cass has no memory of the incident, just a gash on her palm in the shape of a seven. Because of her declining mental state and lack of memory, the judge orders Cass to undergo psychiatric evaluation. She has twelve months to uncover the truth. Dr. Telford, a psychiatrist helps her examine her dysfunctional upbringing which throws Cass into psychological turmoil. Memories surface which sets off a series of events both harrowing, heartwarming and disturbing. Cass must pull back the curtains of her childhood and face the secrets she left there, or succumb to a curse that may, or may not exist, and along the way, prove her innocence.
This dark and magical novel delivers a haunting prose of southern life with wisecracking, moving characters and the discovery of faith in unexpected places. It provides a raw and revealing portrait of mental illness, its creative genius, and its destructive tentacles. THEY FLY SILENT is chock full of family secrets, generational curses, southern maladies and haunting redemption. A captivating family saga with a beautiful reminder.