In the unforgiving vortex of the American heartland, when you have to choose, you always choose life For Iona Moon, the open fields of the Kila Flats and the town of White Falls are centuries apart rather than the distance of a few miles. Mocked and feared by her classmates, Iona is only desirable to beautiful, brilliant Jay Tyler when they're in the backseat of Willy Hamilton's Chevy. Passion offers relief from the abuse of her older brothers and the sorrow of her mother's slow surrender to cancer. But transient pleasures do not lead to grace--and Iona discovers she must escape everything she knows before she can learn to love the ones who have harmed her.   Sensual, haunting, and tender, Iona Moon is a cry for independence, a demand for respect, and a realization that all worlds are cruel in their own ways.