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In a narrative that spans over 150 years and more than seven generations, audiences witness the life and world of the Jett family—which later branches into the author's namesake, Ayres—through the prism of iconic historical events like the Civil War and the Great Depression. A trilogy of three interconnected stories, the author's work is imbued with a yearning for the past, the nostalgia of glory during war, and the harkening to a forgotten time where rope swings over the riverbank were still the highlight of blistering summer days.
Centered around the town of Lithia Springs in Atlanta, Georgia, Ayres' work epitomizes the fleeting nature of time. Seeing thriving communities in the mid-19th-century become ghost towns only decades later is truly haunting. Told primarily from the first-person perspective, the stories cover subjects such as the author's own youth, including his time at Oxford College at Emory, and the journeys of his brother, father, and those who were left behind in the war, like their youngest sister, Anna, and mother.
Between war and a cratering economy, Ayres nestles intriguing stories of his lineage, particularly those of his father, with budding romances sealed with love letters and locks of hair. At its root, the author has taken the grand challenge of turning a genealogy chart into a full-fledged family biography that features the evolution and journey of each character as they relished the highs and plowed through the lows life threw their way. In each of the three stories, readers will be transported into worlds that are both comprehensive and well-flowing, full of the energy and flair that is prevalent throughout the piece. Above all else, Ayres' work exudes authenticity and a keen appreciation and respect for both his family's history and the nation itself.