Flowers For Elvis
A Novel
"I came into this world and left it on the same day. I guess God knew what He was doing. Being the illegitimate daughter of a nun would have been restrictive, to say the least. Then, when you factor in that my mother was white and my father black, that they lived in the podunk town of Iuka, Mississippi, and the year was 1956-I guess I should really feel blessed to be dead."
In 1956, Olivia and her twin sister are born to a nun an old auto parts store turned convent in rural Mississippi. Little Olivia doesn’t survive the day, but her spunky spirit hangs around and takes on the role of ethereal watchdog over her twin. When the Reverend Mother-and holy guilt-convince the nun’s sister (a young pregnant newlywed) to secretly raise the baby as the twin of her own soon-to-be-born child, Olivia realizes the urgency of her presence and support. Not only is her aunt a fanatical Elvis fan, she’s a renegade Southern belle, bent on self-indulgence and desperate to safeguard her multitude of sins.
Without revealing which girl is her twin until the end, Olivia takes the reader on a flower strewn tour of misguided love and maternal betrayal which culminates at Elvis’ funeral, where they finally discover the truth of their parentage and unravel the generations of secrets that shadowed their lives.
Flowers For Elvis is quirky Southern fiction with a literary edge, surprising humor and an uplifting spirit.
In 1956, Olivia and her twin sister are born to a nun an old auto parts store turned convent in rural Mississippi. Little Olivia doesn’t survive the day, but her spunky spirit hangs around and takes on the role of ethereal watchdog over her twin. When the Reverend Mother-and holy guilt-convince the nun’s sister (a young pregnant newlywed) to secretly raise the baby as the twin of her own soon-to-be-born child, Olivia realizes the urgency of her presence and support. Not only is her aunt a fanatical Elvis fan, she’s a renegade Southern belle, bent on self-indulgence and desperate to safeguard her multitude of sins.
Without revealing which girl is her twin until the end, Olivia takes the reader on a flower strewn tour of misguided love and maternal betrayal which culminates at Elvis’ funeral, where they finally discover the truth of their parentage and unravel the generations of secrets that shadowed their lives.
Flowers For Elvis is quirky Southern fiction with a literary edge, surprising humor and an uplifting spirit.
Praises for Flowers For Elvis
"Vibrant, lyrical and full of quirky charm. Julia Schuster has penned a truly unique tale saturated with the lovely strangeness of the south, where appearance is everything . . . and appearances are never what they seem."
-Karen Kendall, author of Take Me If You Can
"Sassy, reverent, delightful, Julia Schuster has a captivating voice and an inventive tale to tell. Flowers for Elvis is ... an imaginative story, deeply Southern in its sensibility and setting. Julia Schuster has created a loveable dead narrator and an engaging debut novel."
-Julie Brickman, author of What Birds Can Only Whisper
“Julia Schuster deftly weaves together cultural issues that were the pulse of the 1950s and 1960s in her latest book, Flowers for Elvis—among them: unwed mothers, racial discrimination, religion, and, of course, Elvis Presley. The book is a comfortable read, its language and characters dropping the reader into the humid heart of the South, into a time we believed to be innocent. Related with insight, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Flowers for Elvis will keep readers turning the page.”
-Vickie Weaver, 2006 Pushcart Nominee
"Olivia, the dead twin destined to watch over and protect her living sister, is the compelling narrator of this moving, funny, sometimes tragic and ultimately redemptive novel. Julia Schuster is a born writer who understands that fiction is the art of empathy, and she blossoms in this strange and wonderful tale that has its roots in Elvis worship, Memphis rhythm and blues, flower shops, and the complex hearts of the women of a Southern gothic family."
-K. L. Cook, author of The Girl from Charnelle and Last Call
"Flowers for Elvis has all the elements of a great Southern novel: ghosts, crazy mothers, obsessions, and many, many secrets. So buckle up, you’re in for quite a ride!"
-Loreen Niewenhuis
-Karen Kendall, author of Take Me If You Can
"Sassy, reverent, delightful, Julia Schuster has a captivating voice and an inventive tale to tell. Flowers for Elvis is ... an imaginative story, deeply Southern in its sensibility and setting. Julia Schuster has created a loveable dead narrator and an engaging debut novel."
-Julie Brickman, author of What Birds Can Only Whisper
“Julia Schuster deftly weaves together cultural issues that were the pulse of the 1950s and 1960s in her latest book, Flowers for Elvis—among them: unwed mothers, racial discrimination, religion, and, of course, Elvis Presley. The book is a comfortable read, its language and characters dropping the reader into the humid heart of the South, into a time we believed to be innocent. Related with insight, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Flowers for Elvis will keep readers turning the page.”
-Vickie Weaver, 2006 Pushcart Nominee
"Olivia, the dead twin destined to watch over and protect her living sister, is the compelling narrator of this moving, funny, sometimes tragic and ultimately redemptive novel. Julia Schuster is a born writer who understands that fiction is the art of empathy, and she blossoms in this strange and wonderful tale that has its roots in Elvis worship, Memphis rhythm and blues, flower shops, and the complex hearts of the women of a Southern gothic family."
-K. L. Cook, author of The Girl from Charnelle and Last Call
"Flowers for Elvis has all the elements of a great Southern novel: ghosts, crazy mothers, obsessions, and many, many secrets. So buckle up, you’re in for quite a ride!"
-Loreen Niewenhuis
