Ghosts of Ursino

Rice's discovery of the remarkable true story of his great-great grandparents interracial marriage on Davis Island, Mississippi in 1872 sent him in search for more details and revelations about his uniquely American family. The limits to his genealogical research became the jumping off point for this work of contemporary fiction. GHOSTS OF URSINO provides the reader an interior view of a scattered American family, and their struggle for identity and satisfaction in a society burdened with obsessions over race, resentment, and wealth.Distant cousins, Jerome and Eve navigate the shame, personal transformations and grief common to 20th Century American life. They each struggle for contentment, not fully aware of the mysterious family roots they share, and the deeper meaning they will enjoy once they discover them. It is Eve and Jerome’s common ancestor Sujee, and the ghost of her slave grandmother Rosa, who are their links to each other, and to discovering their shared and remarkable family story of courage, unconditional love and perseverance.