Mary Ellen Donat

In the Shadow of Her Hat Mary Ellen Donat

In the sweltering summer of 1967 a corpse lay covered with newspapers on his living room sofa. As if the air weren't weighty with stench and flies, his widow sat a vigil beside him.


In the Shadow of Her Hat, the story of willful America Corydon, chronicles painful life experiences that expose and exacerbate eccentricity bordering on madness. Increasingly peculiar behavior would lead to the shocking death bier.


Over the course of five decades, America wages personal battles at home and abroad, from defying her domineering father to challenging the status quo. Carelessly manipulating her affable cousin Asher Kelley, America triggers trouble, tragedy and an improbable lifelong passion.


Set in the early to mid-twentieth century in the Midwest town of Richmond, Indiana, In the Shadow of Her Hat draws heavily on actual events, exploring universal prejudices and values that contribute in layers to culminate in a surprising final chapter.