When Ibby Bell's father dies in the summer of 1964, her mother Vidrine deposits the 11-year-old with her eccentric grandmother Fannie Bell, whom she didn’t know existed. Fannie, who lives in a decrepit Victorian mansion in Uptown New Orleans, tends to wind up in the local asylum every now and then. Her black cook, Queenie, who runs the household, and Queenie’s outspoken daughter, Dollbaby, take young Ibby under their wing and initiate her into the ways of the South --- both its grand traditions as well as its darkest secrets. As Ibby uncovers the ghosts of her family's past, she learns that family can be found in places you least expect it.

Uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, DOLLBABY is a novel of Southern eccentricity, secrets and charm. Fans of Sue Monk Kidd, Pat Conroy and Harper Lee won’t want to miss this one!