FICTION

FOOTPRINTS by Shelby Hearon (Knopf: $21; 191 pp.). It would be easy to describe Shelby Hearon’s 14th book as a “quiet” novel but that is not specific enough. There is the roomy quiet of a couple who have been happy together for a long time, the crackling quiet as their happiness breaks apart and the subtle quiet that lies between the words of comfort from their friends and family. “Footprints” contains many sorts of quiet. Nan and Douglas Mayhall had a friendly, comfortable marriage, a quiet marriage, until the accidental death of their 22-year-old daughter, Bethany. Beginning at a barbecue for the families of organ donors and the lucky recipients, “Footprints” deals with the different reactions of Nan and Douglas when they meet the man who has Bethany’s heart. A darker sort of quiet has grown up between them, and seeing a piece of their daughter opens the chasm even wider. Finally, when tragedy nearly strikes again, Nan, Douglas and their remaining child are forced to confront the choices they have made both before and after Bethany’s death. “Footprints” is much like the characters whose stories it tells: Intelligent, gentle and a little sheltered.