a map of the world: a novel (oprah's book club) (english edition)  pen/hemingway award-winning novelist jane hamilton follows up her first success, <i>the book of ruth</i>, with this spectacularly haunting drama about a rural american family and a disastrous event that forever changes their lives.<br /><br />the goodwins, howard, alice, and their little girls, emma and claire, live on a dairy farm in wisconsin. although suspiciously regarded by their neighbors as "that hippie couple" because of their well-educated, urban background, howard and alice believe they have found a source of emotional strength in the farm, he tending the barn while alice works as a nurse in the local elementary school.<br /><br />but their peaceful life is shattered one day when a neighbor&apos;s two-year-old daughter drowns in the goodwins&apos; pond while under alice&apos;s care. tormented by the accident, alice descends even further into darkness when she is accused of sexually abusing a student at the elementary school. soon, alice is arrested, incarcerated, and as good as convicted in the eyes of a suspicious community. as a child, alice designed her own map of the world to find her bearings. now, as an adult, she must find her way again, through a maze of lies, doubt and ill will.<br /><br />a vivid human drama of guilt and betrayal, a map of the world chronicles the intricate geographies of the human heart and all its mysterious, uncharted terrain. the result is a piercing drama about family bonds and a disappearing rural american life.