Fruit of the Vine - Softcover

He must choose between life, land, and love... Set in the panoramic wine country of New York's Finger Lakes region, Fruit of the Vine is a story of environmental conservation, and life, in rural New York State. Jemison "Jem" Loud is a young, string-bean of a vineyard worker who drinks beer with his buddies and bemoans his lot in the small rural town of Sawhorn, New York in the early 1990s. A fire at the old opera house on Main Street brings to Sawhorn Joe Silla, a brash self-serving entrepreneur hell-bent on forcing the traditional town to progress his way. When Jem's father dies, Jem inherits a historic farm which Joe Silla has in his sights for development. As Jem struggles with what to do with the property and uncovers his own family's secrets, he confronts the tangled shoots of nature and nurture: what is inbred, what our culture feeds to us, and what we cultivate from it all, the Fruit of the Vine. A rich cast of characters all sow the seeds of personal growth in Jem until he becomes a man ready to tackle the future, and real love, head on. With the cynicism and wit that living off the land begets, Fruit of the Vine paints a vivid portrait of contemporary life in rural New York, illuminating the contrast between the bucolic setting and the hard-edged folks who inhabit it.