Jillian Parris is pregnant, newly divorced and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter. It's time to take control of her life and, seeking the source of the little happiness she's had, Jillian heads home to Pawleys Island, South Carolina. There, old memories both haunt her and comfort her. When she left the island as a teenager, her friend Lauren had disappeared and one of her best friends, Linc Rising, was a suspect in the disappearance (and supposed murder). Lauren and Linc had been everything to Jillian and, although she never suspected Linc, their lives were destroyed.

Despite all the turmoil and the unexpected appearance of Linc, Jillian takes comfort in being home in the one place where she felt loved. But those old memories are there, waiting to change her life today. Even her daughter, Grace, is infected with their presence -- she begins talking to an imaginary friend named Lauren.

As Linc and Jillian swim through the heavy waters of their memories, they finally begin to deal with their feelings from years ago. And the feelings that are being stirred today. . .

THE COLOR OF LIGHT is a reminder that the sheer intenseness of youth can change the course of your life. The horror of losing Lauren, felt so strongly by both Linc and Jillian, shifted the foundations of their personalities. Ms. White guides us through the story, which is rife with dark overtones in the Southern tradition of writing. The ending was not a total surprise, but you'll enjoy the getting there. Well-laced with pain and suffering, this book highlights the darkness but ends in the light.

Book Summary

At thirty-two, Jillian Parrish finally finds the courage to take charge of her life and discover what really lives in the dark space under her bed. Recently divorced, she takes her young daughter to seek refuge and solace on Pawleys Island, South Carolina—Jillian's only source of happy childhood memories. Summers spent at her grandmother's beach house were Jillian's sanctuary from indifferent parents until her best friend, Lauren Mills, disappeared.

Linc Rising, Lauren's boyfriend was a suspect in Lauren's disappearance. Although Jillian never doubted his innocence, her parents whisked her back home to Atlanta, and she never got a chance to tell him. Now a resentful Linc is back on Pawleys Island, renovating the old Mills house. As ghosts of the past return to haunt them, and Jillian's daughter begins having eerie conversation with an imaginary friend named Lauren, Jillian and Linc will uncover the truth about Lauren and about the feelings they have kept buried for sixteen years…