I know I need to get really good at explaining this. Especially when I am in public, carrying or reading one of the Write Great Fiction books I am studying as I revise my manuscript.
My hesitation? How much do I actually give away about the plot while explaining it?
What would the back cover of my book say? Here is one of the versions I am working on.
No Eye Has Seen…
Lydia lives alone with her mother in early 1900’s Gold Country. She is brought up to believe they are the only two humans alive and that their purpose is to love God and care for the animals and land he has provided them. But life in their unchanging Valley is about to change forever. Lydia’s mother is ill and acting strangely and just as Lydia begins to question God reasoning, she is confronted with the truth that they are not alone. Tragedy strikes before she able to confront her mother to find out the reasons behind her lies. Lydia finds herself adjusting to life in a busy mining town, desperate for answers from her past. Through it all, she must learn to find herself, forgive her mother, and face the truths about God despite what she cannot see.
So what do you think? Do I need to say more or less? I believe I have a good hook in the introductory chapters, but it doesn’t become apparent that her mother lied until the end of Chapter 3. Is it okay that I gave this detail away above? I have always thought the intriguing point of the story is that Lydia is raised to believe her and her mother are the only people who exist. I want the reader to believe this in part at first, but maybe there is enough interest in how her mother accomplished this to intrigue my audience. They are isolated enough to make it believable for a time, especially since only one other person is aware that Lydia exists at all.