Set in east Alabama and Florida, A Ford in a River concerns contemporary Southerners, men and women deprived of traditional values. Charles Rose writes of rusted harrows in a weed choked field, a bizarre small town hotel, shush shushing pampas grass, run-down trailer parks, and more without overindulging in local color or reverting to Southern Gothic stereotyping. All the characters find themselves trapped by who they are and what they can and cannot accomplish. Resonating with dramatic detail and psychological insight, Rose's stories are never predictable. And his empathy is everywhere manifest.