A painted house : a novel
(Book)

Inspired by the author's own childhood, the story is narrated by a seven-year-old farm boy named Luke Chandler, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready, they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it. Over six weeks, as they pick the cotton, Luke finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop, but that will change the lives of the Chandlers forever.