the Assigned Visit
By Shelley Fraser Mickle

The sixties.  A time of war.  A nation divided.  Political activism.  Idealism.  Antiwar protests. 
No doubt about it, people remember the sixties.  Not all the same way or for the same reasons, but it’s a decade that evokes strong emotion and equally strong memories.  The Assigned Visit beautifully captures the essence of this heartrending period in America’s history in a way that can only be described as compelling and intense.

Susan and Caleb meet in Cambridge, Massachusetts while studying writing at Harvard.  The two become close friends, although Susan would like for it to be more.  Struggling to find themselves as individuals and as writers, the make a pact:  if either of them has a story that they’re too close to tell, they will give it to the other to write.

Life goes on and the two move in separate paths until twenty years later Susan—now a successful novelist— receives a box of journals from Caleb.  From here, Shelley Fraser Mickle masterfully shares Caleb’s  life-altering journey to Pass Christian, Mississippi as part of his social service as a conscientious objector following Hurricane Camille where he meets Grayce Chadwick—an extraordinary woman he falls in love with even though she’s married and completely committed to doing the right thing.  Caleb is captivated by Grayce and her family, as well as the community who shows him pure southern hospitality until they feel the need to protect one of their own.

(Left) Shelly Fraser Mickle

In an interesting twist of events, Shelley brings the story of Caleb and Susan full circle in a gratifying conclusion that will leave readers a little sad for the book to come to a end.  In the Assigned visit, Shelley shows the power of decisions and how they can change your life forever.

The Assigned Visit
By Shelley Fraser Mickle
River City Publishing
Trade Paperback 03/07
ISBN: 1-57966-056-8
List Price:  $14.95