Chanticleer Book Reviews

Best Book: Somerset Awards Category Winners

STIFF HEARTS by Jo Deniau – Historical Fiction, 1950s, Family & Social Issues

Stiff Hearts by Jo Deniau follows the journey of a youthful soul, Gillian Jeanne Rysert, as she tries to live with openness and connection despite the abuse she suffered from her mother.

As Gillian stood at the front of her patio, she couldn’t help but wonder whether her mum, Hannah, truly valued her, after going through utmost scorn and hatred. As readers will learn, Hannah could not deliver such love as she had not grown up with it either. Instead, Hannah had chosen to maintain a routine of reminding Gillian of her lamentable birth, without regard for how deep the sentiments would slash her daughter’s spirit.

Brutality had rocked Hannah’s family and, in turn, Gillian learned early not to oppose Hannah’s remarks under threat of a brisk slap. The two women lacked a mother’s adoration and, so deprived, had hardened their own hearts.

But hope and excitement would radiantly shimmer on Gillian months later, as she secured herself a job and an apartment in Greenwich Village.

This unprecedented change delivered much-needed independence and serenity. She began to nurture a sense of self-worth as she found herself at the center of attention in her workplace, away from her heartbreaking past and draconian mother. However, memories still plagued her, including her sister’s and father’s untimely demise, along with her own narrowly-evaded childhood death. These traumas stall her personal transformation and make her question whether she had any chance of ever opening her stiffened heart to love.

This story will fill myriad readers with empathy, adoration, and understanding, as Gillian’s struggles relate to the social conflicts of the modern day.

Gillian’s reckoning with her traumatic past shows the hope of awakening to a brighter tomorrow. Stiff Hearts is a tale of resilience in the face of fear, and the courage to leap into new opportunities even if one might falter. All the characters are well-hewn, creating a rich and complex narrative with important lessons to teach.

As Jo Deniau discloses, being on the receiving end of cruel and unrelenting criticism, especially when it comes from a parent, weighs heavy on the heart.

Gillian’s story sheds light on the damage of this kind of criticism. It skillfully presses the importance of decent and ethical parenting, to create a haven for children. Deniau is an author whose concept of life is exceptionally alluring, and whose strong convictions and regard for current subjects weave throughout her writing.

Stiff Hearts by Jo Deniau won First Place in the 2022 CIBA Somerset Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

June 28, 2023
The SOMERSET 2022 CIBA WINNERS for Literary & Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the final judging rounds.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Donna LeClair on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2022 LIST of the SOMERSET BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Jo Deniau – Stiff Hearts
- Datta Groover – The Reluctant Visionary
- Conon Parks – Everything That Was
- John Hansen – Hired Hands
- Linda Moore – Attribution
- Morgan Sloan – Scars and Honey
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SOMERSET Awards is:

Everything That Was

by Conon Parks

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

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A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items.

To ALL the WINNERS: You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

Grand Prize Division Winners will receive a customized digital badge. When we receive it from our graphic artist, we will also post here and in the Grand Prize Division Winners Official Posting.

Thank you for participating in the 2022 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

Team Chanticleer
May 15, 2023
THE FOX: Mike, Hilda, and the Green Emerald Cafe Inferno by Battalion Chief John J. Mandeville and John J. Valentino – Fire Fighters, ’60s & ’70s, Action & Adventure

In The Fox, a unique fictional work, Chief John J. Mandeville presents a creative tale that focuses on the various daydreams, successes, and defeats of a lieutenant with the NY Fire Department.

Moving between the ’60s and ’70s, these collective chapters surround strange connections between a bevy of unexpected characters and their chance meetings at a showplace café that unfortunately produces tragic consequences.

Lieutenant Mike “Rooter” Mose is introduced as a Kevin James look-a-like who enjoys the variety of covering assignments for those on leave from different fire stations. While on a trip to Atlantic City with his wife, Rooter glimpses an older restaurant patron wearing a fur coat, which brings to mind a strange recollection. The ensuing chapters then reveal a mixture of storylines surrounding the birth of a fox pup and its fight for dominance and survival, a fur trapper dealing with economic decline and his determination to catch the vulpine that got away. and a younger woman enticed by both the wealth of her older peers and her desire to own a luxurious fur.

In Mandeville’s effort to present a dog-eat-dog world, readers see the casualties that abound in both the animal and human domains.

Here the thematic crossover showcases elements of wealth and desire, jealousy and envy, and a commonality of survival of the fittest.

Within the ranks of his firefighting career, Rooter faces unusual and precarious situations, whether a raucous fiasco created by a brotherhood group helping their fellow fireman with his move to an upscale neighborhood; the tragic mishap of a chief’s aid; the jocular transport of a 750-plus lbs. person; or an unforgettable call to the Green Emerald Cafe.

Here the atmosphere is laced with the likes of transvestite entertainment, irate chefs, obnoxious patrons, art thieves, and a shy coat check girl just trying to do her job.

“Fire can be your friend, but it’s a shaky relationship,” clearly ignites the heroic efforts of those on the front line staring down “The Red Monster.”

Likened to a drooling red devil; an owl after its prey; or “Señor Rojo” enjoying a meal of oxygen, heat, and fuel; detailed descriptions paint a vibrant picture of fire’s destructive power.

Mandeville draws us into the visual realm of his stories, often likening a character’s looks to a known actor or celebrity. The narrative also offers up human and animal comparisons with comments directed to the reader, i.e. a fox escaping into a tree trunk is like ball player Pete Rose diving into first base.

This book includes a character list, a glossary of fire terms, and a diagram of the Green Emerald Cafe that helps to evoke the action for readers.

The story comes together in a circuitous path, combining its disparate people and conflicts.

Through an engaging blend of humor and pathos, the writing is rich in both character and action and driven by a strange group of interlocking storylines that reach an unexpected culmination.

The Fox: Mike, Hilda, and the Green Emerald Cafe Inferno by John J. Mandeville and John J. Valentino won First Place in the 2016 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction.

August 8, 2022
WISHES, SINS, and the WISSAHICKON CREEK by PJ Devlin – Contemporary Fiction, Americana, Short Stories

Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek by PJ Devlin emulates the lives of fictional characters brimming with hope and promise yet living a truthful life of existence in the gorgeous setting of Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon Creek.

The book encompasses ten short stories making it a complete work of fiction. Devlin creates characters which are rich in both experience and struggle. Not only do they live in a real world created by Devlin, but her characters, a mix of children and adults, both struggle with daily, real-world issues most Americans deal with. The stories are all relatable in this sense, which makes the text come alive, page after page.

The first story, I Wish It Every Day, exists in the premise of a lasting, pseudo friendship between two women, Mary and Julia. The two past high school friends reminisce at a coffee shop one fine day, yet the meeting exists only because of a chance. The reader learns of the ladies’ lack of real friendship since the time regrettably passes without daily correspondence. Piece Man, the second in the group of short stories, creates a picture from an art piece in an art gallery. A child and an adult realize the importance of time and the fleeting speed of life. Devlin’s third story, Original Sin, captures the lives of a family devastated by death and the sins of a priest. The irony of this story exists in the mother’s wish for her son.

Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek continues with beautiful settings and attention to detail in the depiction of every scene.

Devlin’s attention to detail and superb storytelling acumen invites readers to live in these ten short stories, as if they are truly part of the text. Each story represents new characters and new dilemmas. The unique tie to the ten stories is the setting of Pennsylvania and the eastern United States. The strong and determined people of Wissahickon may suffer, yet they pick themselves up and move on, much like the determination and perseverance of middle-class Americans. Devlin skillfully captures the true spirit of twenty-first century middle Americana.

Readers whose interests lie in middle America or Americana contemporary literature will enjoy this award-winning collection of short stories. Understanding the human dilemma as told by one who lives in the Wissahickon Creek area brings authenticity that readers will surely appreciate.

Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon River by PJ Devlin won 1st Place in the 2018 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary, Literary, and Satire Fiction.

April 8, 2022
PAUSE by Sara Stamey – Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Family Fiction, Literary Fiction
Sara Stamey’s Pause features a hero who defies gravity, a scintillating setting, and a lovely backdrop for this riveting story.

This story is about women: strong, weak, abused, cherished, divorced, cancer survivors, mothers, sisters, friends, frenemies. It is a book about survival and hope, about getting back to self to reemerge into a life worth living.

Meet Lindsey, a fifty-two-year-old divorced woman going through menopause, living alone with her two cats, and worrying about her 1 and ¾ breasts. Readers will be hooked from the very beginning with the first of many poignant and funny journal entries. Here is Lindsey’s reality: a middle-aged woman suffering hot flashes that sear her skin and cause spells of nausea, who suffers PTSD from an abusive spouse.

Lindsey never thought of herself as a victim, though.

The fact that she walked on eggshells around Nick becomes a reflection of Lindsey’s parents’ relationship. Her father’s abuse of the mother and the mother’s frailty combined with her refusal to accept help and get out of the situation leave Lindsey feeling helpless and trigger her PTSD.

A certifiable mess, Lindsey seeks out an old flame, Newman. And at least for her, the flame ignites, and Lindsey finds herself falling in love. Newman, however, never opens up to her or becomes more available than a part-time lover. When she meets Damon, she is torn between being treated like a queen by a man ten years younger than her or as a booty-call by Newman.

Stamey weaves these issues and more into her novel, giving her protagonist a chance to try on life again after surviving cancer and divorce.

Lindsey’s spiritual awakening occurs as she works as a medical transcriber at a local hospital. While typing up a rush job on an emergency case, she discovers that a friend’s son was admitted with head trauma. The doctor who did the neurosurgery regularly botches the surgery, either killing his patients or leaving them vegetables. She informs the parents of her fears about this doctor while launching a full-scale lawsuit against the hospital that knowingly kept this doctor on staff and destroyed their son’s chances for recovery.

She gets fired for breach of confidentiality and finds herself unemployed, but her original plan to pursue environmental writing, essays, articles, and books after graduating from college beckons. She finds her first topic while riding through a park slated to become a hospital parking lot. She submits her essay about endangered owls living in the trees there; the piece is published and becomes instrumental in saving the space. The paper’s editor recognizes her talent and approaches her with another project with an environmental theme, and Lindsey agrees. A new career blossoms for her, which builds her up instead of tearing her apart.

Stamey develops Lindsey as a woman who won’t succeed until she takes charge and stands up for herself and her dreams.

Lindsey must learn to heal and move beyond cancer, the divorce, and the PTSD of the abuse. Readers will adore Lindsey for all of it. Powerfully written with melodic imagery, Stamey draws her readers in. Be prepared to cry, laugh, and cheer for Linsey as she finally takes the leap of faith necessary to begin believing in herself.

Stamey’s Pacific Northwest backdrop is captured in her skillfully crafted narrative. Readers are with Lindsey on the rapids, riding bikes through a maple forest, or walking beside a salmon-filled stream. We sit with her looking out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset and watching eagles as they hunt along the shore. Stamey’s brush strokes are deft, and her palette is rich as she creates this story’s world.

Stamey’s Pause is a riveting tale of one woman’s exploration to discover herself in a world where she has been dominated and controlled. She learns to take back control and finds herself whole and healed.

Pause is beautiful and thought-provoking and comes highly recommended. This title won 1st Place in the 2020 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction.
March 4, 2022
Summer Girl by Linda Watkins – Coming of Age Fiction, Women’s Literature & Fiction, Romance Fiction

Visit an idyllic island off the coast of Maine, long before the days of the internet and social media, in Linda Watkins’ romance novel, Summer Girl.

Jake, a local teenage boy on Cutter Island meets Andi, who visits for the summer with her mom and stepdad. In this summer of 1965 the two hit it off almost immediately, spending every moment they can together.

But not long after they profess their love for one another, tragedy strikes, forcing them apart with little hope of ever seeing each other again.

Twenty years pass until the summer of 1985. Jake, now a successful writer, returns to Cutter Island with his wife and kids for the first time in many years. Andi also arrives with her husband and young son. Once they learn of each other’s presence on the island, all the memories of that summer long ago come flooding back. And so do the unanswered questions of what happened on that fateful night. But a different question burns in their hearts and demands to be answered. Does first love, true love, ever really die?

Watkins’ writing flows elegantly.

Andi and Jake look back on their past with nostalgia, heartbreak, and regret. Cutter Island and the characters on it feel immediately familiar, like old friends in a place we’d like to visit. This summer vacation on a quiet island community off the coast of Maine, with all the fresh seafood at an arm’s reach, comes to life. Past and present in Summer Girl take place in a time before the internet became ingrained into everyday life. Readers can take a momentary break to disconnect and truly get lost in the story.

Jake and Andi show their impressive amount of depth, and accurately portray the simple naivete of youth during the fateful summer in which they meet. Their romance stays grounded and realistic. Watkins’ beautiful writing paints a picture of inexperienced teenagers with honesty and vulnerability that makes their parting even more emotional.

Summer Girl tells a story of love against all odds.

True love leaves an infinite effect on someone’s life, for better or for worse. This story stands on love, hope, and perseverance. Accept the invitation to the remote Cutter Island and smell the mouthwatering preparations of the summer night’s lobster bake. Keep an eye out for Jake and Andi among the hungry locals and vacationers.

Summer Girl by Linda Watkins won 1st Place in the 2018 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for contemporary literary novels.

November 15, 2021
JERKWATER by Jamie Zerndt – Native American Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Ethnic & Regional Fiction

Three friends in Mercer, Wisconsin find ways to deal with their problems amid a racist town in Jamie Zerndt’s Jerkwater.

Shawna Reynolds’ life changed when her white stepdad murdered her Ojibwa mother. Now living with her Naan (grandmother), Shawna surrounds herself with those who make her feel most comfortable. Besides Naan, she clings to her horse Seven, her behind-the-scenes Ojibwa boyfriend Elmer, and two white friends: Kay O’Brien and her son Douglas. But racial tension cuts through the town of Mercer itself, galvanized by a fight over fishing rights.

Soon after the death of her husband Norm, sixty-four-year-old Kay O’Brien learns that she nears the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Norm’s sudden demise shocks her and Douglas to the point that she withholds her recent diagnosis from him. Kay has a few church-lady friends, but feels closest to Shawna, spending time together drinking foul-tasting Manhattans. Shawna divulges that she’s been accepted into veterinary school, and in turn, Kay discloses her Alzheimer’s.

Douglas, who blames himself for his father’s death, takes over his dad’s unstable car repair business more out of guilt than aptitude. However, amongst the apparent doom and gloom of their lives, Shawna connects with animals, Douglas develops his art, and Kay still has enough wits about her to create positive change.

The three friends share something vital: they understand pain.

Each one struggles with their own unresolved issues: Shawna, anger over her mother’s death; Kay, health problems and the loss of her husband; and Douglas, caught between guilt and his desire to be an artist.

Jenna, a newbie who runs a hippish coffee house in town, takes an immediate interest in Douglas and his artwork. In the meantime, Kay discovers Norm’s poems written to a secret French love. But this upsetting news gets lost in the “Alzheimer” translation. She believes herself to be the secret love and takes off on Seven, babbling in nonsensical French. Although the situation is nothing less than strange, the friends have no idea that this bizarre moment will initiate a flurry of unforgettable and life-changing events.

Raconteur extraordinaire Jamie Zerndt produces a witty yet moving story of friendship.

Alternating his latest novel between three third-person narratives, Zerndt weaves in the local information about the Ojibwa and their constant fight with racist fishing rights in the highly-populated white town of Mercer, Wisconsin. Zerndt paints a convincing and visceral picture of emotion through his principal cast on many levels: low self-esteem, depression (leading to alcoholism), anger, and fear. His characters stay grounded, unremarkable, and relatable, especially Kay who struggles with the fact that she has no control of her mental state – something the older generation dreads.

Undoubtedly, sadness abounds from one page onward. But so does humor, love, and tenderness.

The humor arrives in darkness and sarcasm, as the characters face death and hate coming from a town dripping in racism. Sometimes, you have to laugh at pain in its face, and that’s precisely what Shawna, Kay, and Douglas do. Love unfolds awkwardly as an escape for Shawna and as a revelation for Douglas. Religion also comes into play as Kay bounces her thoughts of God between her relationship to the Catholic church, the church ladies she chums with, and a hippish priest who offers his services in an unorthodox way.

While chapters close on cliffhangers and tension builds with each character, Zerndt offers very little in the way of clues to the story’s apex. Instead, he uses the element of surprise, which allows readers to experience the depths of Shawna, Douglas, and Kay in ways they may not think possible.

Kudos to Zerndt for a brilliant literary work! Jerkwater is an absorbing read from beginning to end.

Jamie Zerndt’s Jerkwater won 1st Place in the 2019 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Novels.

October 8, 2021
JOEL EMMANUEL by J.P. Kenna – Mystery, Coming of Age, Pacific Northwest Literary Fiction
Set in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, Joel Emmanuel by JP Kenna rewards its readers with the story of a boy coming of age and how he understands the changes around him. Kenna’s style echoes the English novels of the 19th century.

Young Joel Emmanuel Webber, named for a Wobbly executed long ago in 1915, lives with his mother, Nance Raindance, in a cabin on the Skagit River near Seattle before it was a technopolis. Their world is antiquated even for the 1970s and defined by farming, fishing, and basics like a woodburning cookstove, kerosene lamps, and candles. Joel calls his mother by her given name, doesn’t know his father, and lives an open life free of school and, even occasionally, clothing. He is sensitive and easily succumbs to tears.

His small world includes a nearby septuagenarian farmer who is the cabin’s landlord; an Indian from “the Rez” named Billy Sampson and his daughter; and Bruce, a suitor of his mother’s who has become the town’s hustling (and overextended) entrepreneur. This unique upbringing affects how Joel sees the world, as he comes face-to-face with adult matters, while other children his age are happy and oblivious to the difficulties of adulthood.

As the world away from rural Washington slides from President Carter to President Reagan, young Joel’s life changes when his actual father, George, shows up unexpectedly at his ninth birthday dinner.

Of course, George has past transgressions, as we all do. Still, the boy bonds with his father, assisting in his coal business while his mother’s relationship with Bruce becomes complicated. The family takes an apartment in town as Nance moves from selling vegetables at a roadside stand to helping run Bruce’s real estate office. Joel is content with his time on boats and bicycles and at ease with hard work such as splitting wood. However, the interactions between the men in his mother’s life warp his understanding of the world.

Bruce’s precarious financial position – or perhaps his non-Native capitalistic thinking – leads him to repossess his old fishing boat from Billy’s cousin Gerald. The repercussions of this one decision pit Native Americans against townies, and forces Joel to choose sides in the subsequent murder trial.

Kenna weaves his literary suspense like a true master, making farms and equipment come alive, all while using them to represent the flow of change and time. Each place, each scene, each vehicle, and each tool is imbued with meaning. Kenna’s characters have strong relationships with their place in the world, which makes it easy for the reader to internalize. In fact, Kenna captures a way of life that seems impossible today, focusing on the human story and systems of the time, and makes them universal and accessible to contemporary readers.

J.P. Kenna’s story of changing and butting cultures beats at the heart of Joel Emmanuel, and readers will surely enjoy it. Joel Emmanuel won 1st in Category in the Somerset Awards for Literary Fiction and the Clue Awards for Suspense Fiction.
July 16, 2021
SOMERSET Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction 2020 CIBA Award Winners
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the Premier Level of Achievement in the 2020 CIBAs.

The 2020 SOMERSET Book Awards First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner were announced by Gail Noble-Sanderson on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar and Facebook Live.

It is our privilege and profound honor to announce the 1st in Category winners of the 2020 SOMERSET Awards, a division of the 2020 CIBAs.

This is the OFFICIAL 2020 LIST of the SOMERSET BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner.

Congratulations to all!
- Sara Stamey – Pause
- Gregory Erich Phillips – A Season in Lights
- Candi Sary – Magdalena
- Kathleen Reid – Sunrise in Florence
- T P Graf – As the Daisies Bloom
- Julie Weary – Knowing Marjorie Thane
- Barbara Linn Probst – Queen of the Owls
- Jennifer Gold – Keep Me Afloat
- Lainey Cameron – The Exit Strategy
- Susan Wingate – How the Deer Moon Hungers
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 SOMERSET Awards is:

Gregory Erich Phillips for

A Season in Lights

The 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC22 on April 10, 2022. Save the date for CAC22, scheduled April 7-10, 2022, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards are open until the end of November. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in July. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
June 15, 2021
LITTLE TEA by Claire Fullerton – Southern Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Cultural Heritage Fiction

Author Claire Fullerton’s skillfully crafted fourth novel, Little Tea, weaves bits and pieces of the human condition into a timely story.

Prepare to visit Fullerton’s Deep South, where, like the tropical storms from the Gulf, the southern mystique engulfs the land and its people. Beneath the genteel manners and tradition are whirlpools of passion, unrelenting memories, and behaviors that ebb and flow to and from the edges of conscious thought, leaving behind a sense of anxious anticipation.

From when Celia Wakefield agrees to meet her high-school friends, Renny Thornton and Ava Cameron, to spend a long weekend at Renny’s lake cabin in Arkansas, she’s been uneasy. She hasn’t gone “home” for more than ten years—it’s too painful. She first met Renny and Ava before her life inexorably changed. They were thirteen years old – newly-minted adolescents eager to spread their wings and take on the world. Besties ever since, Renny and Ava are a part of Celia’s present and unthinkable history. Celia needs their friendship, but the past floats just below the surface, like a ‘gator waiting for prey.

But now she must go.

Ava, the fey sprite, the dream spinner, needs her help. She’s having a mid-life crisis and has reached out to her and Renny for support.

Celia agrees to fly to Memphis, meet Ava at the terminal, travel to Renny’s ranch in Olive Branch, Mississippi. From there, they will proceed to Renny’s lake house over the border in Arkansas for a long weekend of intervention and renewal. It’s all about Ava’s issues—not hers. It’s what good friends do.

That weekend, while Ava grapples with her discontent, alcoholism, and re-connects with her first love, Celia finds herself revisiting her own agonies. Her painful past, sublimated for so long, surfaces and demands resolution.

Little Tea resonates on many levels.

This modern-day drama juxtaposes the traumas of contemporary issues with unresolved traumas from history, where, for so many, the safe, secure, and predictable world of childhood innocence was ripped away, replaced by the unthinkable.

For the reader who not only enjoys an engaging story but values skilled writing, Little Tea fits the bill. Fullerton’s use of lyrical language, imagery, and authentic dialogue capture the feel of the south. Her characters are believable—everyone knows an “Ava.” Fullerton uses setting as a nuanced character, always nearby, influencing without being intrusive and, her pacing and word choices are exemplary.

Like many modern, provocative novels, Little Tea ends not by tidying up anything. Fullerton leaves her readers with an open door, so to speak, that allows readers to venture out onto the porch, sit down on the old wicker rocker, and ponder what the characters might do next. In this trusting the reader, Fullerton gifts us with latitude for interpretation.

If you’ve never spent time in the south or wish to revisit, Little Tea will take you there. All in all, Fullerton has given readers a story that engages both the mind and the heart. Little Tea won First in Category in the 2019 Somerset Awards for literary fiction.

April 5, 2021