When the Ficketts decide to adopt Edgar Allan, they don't see the boy as a ticking time bomb. He is black, they are white, and their neighbors are determined to stop them.
A white family adopts a small black child and then, because they are fearful of what will happen in their small town, make a terrible decision.

"This is not a novel about prejudice or race relations or brotherhood . It is about parents and children, young people and older people, about love and failure, loss and discovery, coming to terms with ourselves and others. Edgar Allan . is a work of art."-The New York Times

An American Library Association Notable Book

An Outstanding Book of the Year, The New York Times