The Orchard

Catherine Temma Davidson is the author of the novel, The Priest Fainted, "a resonant mélange of wisdom and humor, a testimony to the strong bonds of family and cultural traditions" (Publishers Weekly). She has published two volumes of poetry, Inheriting the Ocean and Behind the Lines. Her poetry has won acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, including a 2016 commendation for the International Troubadour Poetry Prize. The grandchild of immigrants and an immigrant herself, Catherine teaches writing to international students at Regent's University and works as a writing consultant at Amnesty International. She serves on the board of Exiled Writers Ink, an organization that promotes writing by refugees and asylum seekers. Originally from Southern California, Catherine lives in London with her family.

Lisa's grandfather is turning 100, and her family is gathering to celebrate in a sprawling southern Californian apricot orchard. The orchard is both the heart of their family and a reminder of its past.Like many immigrants to America, Joe and his wife, Anna, fled their home country in one of the horrific ethnic cleansings of the twentieth century. Forced out of Turkey because they were Greek, they arrived in the New World full of hope. A piece of land with a thriving orchard gave a new beginning to a new American family.
Lisa wants to preserve the beloved orchard that Joe built with his own hands, but to her bitter disappointment, everyone else in the family wants to sell. They all have busy lives and families of their own. Lisa is gearing up for a battle-one that intensifies when her college-age daughter falls in love with the wrong man.
Old divisions and the longing to hold on to tradition make it hard to see a path forward. Will the family's history tear it apart-or will they find deeper ties to bind them together?