Super Short Summary

The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty follows Laurel Hand, who returns to her childhood home in Mount Salus, Mississippi after the death of her father, Judge Clint McKelva, navigating her grief and the strained relationship with her father's young, selfish second wife, Fay. Over three reflective days, Laurel reconciles with her past and makes peace with her losses, finding a renewed sense of self-worth. The book includes themes of death, grief, and emotional abuse.