What Remains Unsaid by Audrey Kalman

Book Information

Genre: Literary fiction

Paperback: 258 pages

• Publisher: Sand Hill Review Press; First edition (April 19, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937818241
• ISBN-13: 978-1937818241

Synopsis: In a placid California suburb, a mother ends up at the wrong end of her son’s Colt .45.

Sean Masterson takes Ginny hostage in her own kitchen. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he says. “I want you to listen for once.” With the tuna salad spoiling on the counter, he tells her things about his life she never knew. And, finally, coaxed by fear and desperation, Ginny reveals the secret at the center of their family. 

Can Sean’s reckless act bring mother and son together after thirty years of missed connections?

What Remains Unsaid is about the stories we could never imagine behind the faces we think we know—and how sometimes even the promise of forgiveness may come too late to save the ones we love.

Review: This is one of the best character-driven stories I've read this year. We get inside the minds of several of the main characters and see some of the same events from differing perspectives. The ending is one part predictable, and one part surprise. I could hardly stand to put it down once I started reading!

None of the characters are particularly likable, but the more you learn about their lives, the more you understand why they have become these people. 

This is a book which will draw you in, hold you in the story, and then release you with a LOT to think about for days to come.

Rating: Four stars

About the author
Audrey Kalman writes literary fiction with a dark edge, often about what goes awry when human connection is missing from our lives. Her most recent novel, What Remains Unsaid was published in May, 2017 by Sand Hill Review Press. Her previous novel, Dance of Souls, appeared in 2011. 

Many online and print journals have published her short fiction and poetry, including "Boundoff," "Every Day Fiction," "Fault Zone," "The Jewish Literary Journal," "Mash Stories," "Pithead Chapel," "Punchnels," "The Sand Hill Review," and "Sixfold." She edited two editions of the "Fault Zone" anthology of California writers (Fault Zone Shiftand Fault Zone Diverge) and is at work on another novel. 

She lives in northern California with her husband, two children, and two cats. Find out more at www.audreykalman.com

SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW by Catherine Ryan Hyde

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (December 13, 2016)
• ISBN-10: 1503939448
• ISBN-13: 978-1503939448
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Synopsis: On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African American father and son.

When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Lucy never thought she’d make connections again, never mind fall in love. Pete never imagined he’d find friends as loyal as Justin and the dog. But these four people aren’t allowed to be friends, much less a family, when the whole town turns violently against them.

With heavy hearts, Dr. Lucy and Pete say goodbye to Calvin and Justin. But through the years they keep hope alive…waiting for the world to catch up with them.

Review: This is a very emotional story, on so many levels. Each of the major characters has something in their life that makes you hurt for them, and makes you hope they will find their happy ending.

The setting and culture of 1959 Texas are so well described by the author that you feel you are right there with the characters in every situation. I truly enjoyed watching Pete grow and mature throughout the book--even though the book synopsis focuses on Lucy and Calvin, I saw Pete as the main character and his story as the one that brought all the others together.  His relationship with Prince, the wolf-dog, held a few surprises which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love reading everything from this author!  I received a copy of this book from Booksparks, with no obligation to post a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer. She is the author of Pay It Forward, which was adapted into a major motion picture. She is also the founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation. As a professional public speaker she has addressed the National Conference on Education, spoken at Cornell University, met with Americorps members at the White House and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. For more information on Catherine visit catherineryanhyde.com

Liar's Bench by Kim Michele Richardson

Synopsis: In 1972, on Mudas Summers' seventeenth birthday, her beloved Mama, Ella, is found hanging from the rafters of their home. Most people in Peckinpaw, Kentucky, assume that Ella's no-good husband did the deed. Others think Ella grew tired of his abuse and did it herself. Muddy is determined to find out for sure either way, especially once she finds strange papers hidden amongst her mama's possessions. 

But Peckinpaw keeps its secrets buried deep. Muddy's almost-more-than-friend, Bobby Marshall, knows that better than most. Though he passes for white, one of his ancestors was Frannie Crow, a slave hanged a century ago on nearby Hark Hill Plantation. Adorning the town square is a seat built from Frannie's gallows. A tribute, a relic--and a caution--it's known as Liar's Bench. Now, the answers Muddy seeks soon lead back to Hark Hill, to hatred and corruption that have echoed through the years--and lies she must be brave enough to confront at last. 

Kim Michele Richardson's lush, beautifully written debut is set against a Southern backdrop passing uneasily from bigotry and brutality to hope. With its compelling mystery and complex yet relatable heroine, Liar's Bench is a story of first love, raw courage, and truths that won't be denied.

Thoughts: 

A fascinating story with lots of historical relevance. There is family drama, domestic violence, racism, coming of age, blossoming romance, cock fighting...a whole spectrum of events and relationships. There are lies and secrets which need to be uncovered, and somehow it falls to 17 yr old Mudas Summers to set things right.

The novel's plot runs from 1860 to 1972, and has several stories which eventually tie together in Mudas and her boyfriend, Bobby Marshall. The author does a fabulous job of describing the settings and events, and of making us feel something for all the characters, whether positive or negative.

I would highly recommend this book to pretty much everyone.

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

My rating: Four stars