The Cove is a 2012 novel by American author Ron Rash. It is Rash's fifth novel, his most acclaimed novel being the New York Times bestseller, Serena. The Cove was listed as #16 on the New York Times Bestseller list for Hardcover Fiction in the April 29, 2012 issue of The New York Times Book Review and remained on the list as #29, #22, and #31 for the three subsequent weeks. Plot Part One (Ch. 1–5) The novel takes place in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina in 1918. Laurel Shelton lives in the cove with her brother Hank, who has just returned home from fighting in World War I and is missing a hand. Laurel stumbles, unnoticed, upon a man sitting alone in the woods playing a flute. A visit by Laurel to her parents' graves reveal that she and her brother are both orphans; their deaths contributed to the local belief that Laurel is a witch. Laurel is cruelly treated by the locals, especially when Jubel Parton had sex with on a bet. When Laurel again spots the man in the woods, she stops to listen to his music and notes its sadness before heading into the nearest town with Hank and Slidell. An incident in town prompts Laurel to tell her brother about Jubel, and Hank gets into a fight with him. His friend, Chauncey Feith, the town's army recruiter, breaks up the fight and the trio returns home. Meanwhile, Walter Smith, a man who has just escaped some sort of camp, wanders to the cove and stays for three days to heal. On the fourth day he intends to leave, but he suddenly slips and falls and is attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets. He begins to hallucinate. Laurel goes looking for the flute playing man, who we now find out is Walter. He is lying on the ground, obviously badly hurt, and she and Hank bring him back to their cabin. While nursing Walter back to health she discovers a paper in his knapsack identifying him as a mute. She discovers that he is trying to catch a train to New York City. In exchange for his help with chores around the cove, Walter is allowed to stay until their next trip with Slidell. At the end of Part One, Laurel sees Walter hide a medallion between some rocks and, retrieving it, she attempts,