Looking Through Walls: Based On a True Story (Multigenerational Biographical Family Saga)

Clumsily, He Spills His Drink on Her. Mae is Instantly Smitten. The Rest is History.

Growing up in early twentieth century America is no picnic, especially for the youngest child of five with no father, a matriarchal mother who rules with a rod of iron, and a disfiguring purple birthmark on the right-hand side of his face. Such is the lot of Harold Deal.

Suffering from resultant interminable shyness, he lives a lonely childhood, and although he’s an intellectually gifted architect, his social phobia means his future relationship prospects are bleak.

Mae dreams of having a family but no sooner does their love affair begin when the world around them is rattled by a deluge of disturbing events. Set against the backdrop of 1916 New York and a time of great change in the United States, they struggle to hold onto their love in the face of turmoil.

On top of that, another threat to their marriage looms: Harold’s mother doesn’t think Mae is good enough for her “baby” and is determined to disrupt their lives and pull them apart. Will their love withstand the strain or will the bond between an interfering mother and her son prove to be too much for them to bear?

Based on the life story of the author’s great uncle, Harold Deal and countless letters saved between Mae and her mother-in-law, Looking Through Walls is the first book in Hal Holbrook’s four-book epic American family saga that spans the three quarters of the 20th century.