Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CBR

OPERATION MOM: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man by Reenita Malhotra Hora – YA, Romance, Comedy

Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.

Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?

No, Ila couldn’t be taken with Dev because he’s one of three young men that her best friend Deepali is juggling in her summer experiment of exploring her “feminine mystique.” This turn of phrase becomes just one of many opportunities for Hora’s humor to shine as Ila remarks, “That’s a book by Gloria Steinem . . . no Betty Friedan.” Deepali’s response? “Yaar. Don’t be so literal.” The delightful balance between Ila’s book smarts versus Deepali’s street smarts carries us through Hora’s expertly crafted story.

The two girls decide to help each other conduct their “summer experiments,” but for Ila to achieve her goal of meeting Ali Zafar, they must find a diversion to preoccupy Ila’s mom, Veena, a successful journalist, author, and intellectual.

The way to do that, they both decide, is to introduce her to a man who will sweep her off her feet. So sayeth the boy-crazy girls, and thus begins the antics of Ila and Deepali. Ila trusts and admires her best friend’s knowledge on the subject of romance, which is her biggest mistake, and with Deepali in charge, the two find themselves in constant mix-ups and fantastic situations.

To top it off, Dev, Deepali’s boyfriend “number three,” helps them create a dating app profile for Ila’s mom, but they give her the unlikely moniker “Venus” because no one uses their real names on these apps. When Ila begins fielding replies from prospective suitors, she finds she is out of her league—big time.

Enter Dev to aid and assist our hero. Ila’s attraction to the “unachievable” Dev is an impetus for her attraction to Ali Zafar, a more attainable target according to Ila. But Dev’s physical presence nags on Ila. Dev is there, and Ali is not. Yet, Dev was Deepali’s, so Ila, out of loyalty to her friend, pushes him away. The more he helps her, though, the more difficult that becomes.

Hora’s tale showcases what it is to be seventeen with a protective Punjabi mom – or any mom for that matter.

She captures the sometimes-difficult relationship between mother and daughter, friend and friend, husband and wife, and boy and girl. Her exploration of coming of age in a world filled with imperfect people is both humorous and heartfelt, and from beginning to end, we love her for her innocence, stubbornness, and intelligence.

This book will have you laughing out loud. It will keep you reading into the night to see what life has in store for these lovable characters who leap off the page and capture your heart and your imagination. Reenita Malhotra Hora’s novel, Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man, is a highly recommended and delightful five-star read.

September 9, 2022
THE KISSING RABBI by Andy Becker – Small Town Fiction, Jewish Community, Contemporary Social Issues

Based on a true story, Andy Becker’s tale The Kissing Rabbi is a smart, witty, and engaging novel that takes readers into the heart of a Jewish community in the Pacific Northwest.

Here a young, self-serving rabbi sets a town on edge when his salacious desires and personal financial agenda are brought to light by the people he was brought there to serve.

Rabbi Mishegas Dreidel, a young orthodox leader, arrives in the quiet town of Destiny, Oregon. His intentions seem noble as he opens up a synagogue in his basement and establishes a flock of dedicated followers.

Over the next decade, the ever-present counselor builds friendships with his congregants, invites them to dinner, and shows concern for their spiritual well-being. With a wife and nine children to support, he encourages donations from his believers and secures a monster loan to build a beautiful house of worship. He becomes the central cog in a world that he sculpted.

Unfortunately, this rabbi is not the wholesome spiritual leader he claims to be.

Dreidel pushes his unwanted advances on several of the women in the community, seeking to explore his sexual proclivities under the guise that he wants to improve his own marital relationship.

This proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing also involves himself in several secretive monetary dealings. These reach the point where lawyers and the high Jewish court system must get involved to decide whether this narcissistic religious principal must be ousted from his position.

Becker’s absorbing and evolving storyline is well-paced, with a central character whose unstable and remorseless responses to these accusations keep readers invested.

With a colorful cast of characters from rabbis and congregants to attorneys, victims, and investigative reporters, we witness Dreidel’s fall from grace. Comments like “…a half-truth is still a whole lie,” and “You can’t put a black hat on a pig and call him a rabbi!” show the anger of this wronged town.

In a nod to the recent “Me too” movement, Becker delivers a timely cautionary tale, yet infuses the story with touches of wit and humor.

The sprinkling of Yiddish words used throughout brings cultural flavor to the narrative. The appearance of a rabbi group that goes by the moniker TUCAS, (Torah, Understanding, Compassion, Atonement, and Solidarity), an acronym reminiscent of the Hebrew word for butt (tuchas), and other humorous touches bring a balance to the dark clouds invading this suburb.

While the accosted women, both young and old, initially sympathize with the young rabbi’s plight, his phone calls, texts, and unwanted advances force them to recognize the troubled zealot for what he truly is. These shocking revelations divide a community that ultimately hopes for truth and redemption.

In the tradition of Jewish storytellers, Becker’s narrative voice provides a glimpse into orthodox traditions but also examines the nature of human foibles and frailty.

Here that duality is clearly showcased in a patriarchal enclave and the man who holds power over it. Greed, hubris, and narcissism appear as the root of his evil undoing.

Against the backdrop of a warm and welcoming environment, Becker delivers a world turned upside down by their beloved leader, and readers will see that inevitably “the kugel hits the fan!” within this thought-provoking, entertaining story.

The Kissing Rabbi by Andy Becker won First Place in the 2021 CIBA Mark Twain Book Awards for Humor and Satire Fiction.

September 7, 2022
BOONE and JACQUE: Cytrus Moonlight by A.G. Flitcher – Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Psychological Thriller

A.G. Flitcher’s Cytrus Moonlight continues the Boone and Jacque series (book 4 of 4) with a thrilling journey through fear for the young characters – an exploration of psychological traumas and the uncanny manifestations in the surrealistic setting of Cytrus.

Disasters can stir up a society’s darkest fears, spurring suspicion and ignorance. Cytrus Moonlight grows and evolves from its character’s obsessive worries. Boone, Jacque, and Shammy have moved to Cytrus and are living reasonably normal lives until an inexplicable murder disrupts their peace. Jacque’s uncle Leon is killed by poison. As the evidence of the murder case is revealed, more underlying tunnels of unrest come to light in Cytrus.

The circumstances underlying Leon’s murder are unknown. However, Boone has a strange foreboding: he unexpectedly finds himself driving Leon’s car and feels a burning feeling on his neck. Boone begins to feel as if he is being watched – as if there are “a thousand eyes on him.”

Soon, a psychedelic drug is loosed on the town, driving its recipients to witness their greatest fears and embrace repressed emotions.

Mayor John Winterson invites the friends to a Christmas party, where the drug renders everyone into naked fools. The key suspect looks to be the eccentric, maniacal Dr. Button. However, the doctor’s own inexplicable death flips everything upside down.

Jacque notices a monster while detectives are trying to locate the key to the puzzle of death and fear. He is cautioned not to ask questions that draw the wrong kind of interest. Cytrus’ many secrets, and Jacque and Boone’s tendency to attract trouble, make them susceptible to certain people – people who want to prevent them from “causing history in town to repeat itself” just as they did in their former town Saddleton.

This story’s Magical Realism presents a farcical and satirical tone, with dark humor that never leaves the narrative’s surface.

There is a consistent appearance of a bathos element in the YA urban fiction – a quick transition from a serious topic to dramatic dry humor. This ambiguity in the gravity of certain events implies a reflection of the traumatic brains of characters, which manifest themselves much more in a bizarre and topsy-turvy Cytrus. The combination produces an unreal atmosphere throughout the story – much like Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985).

This thriller gently explores the idea of free will vs. fate.

Boone and Shammy want to live a calm existence free of the turbulence and trauma they tend to attract, but numerous circumstances lead them along a path that looks to take them to their fate.

Likewise, trauma remains an underlying theme throughout the story, as the novel sheds light on some of the characters’ psychological anguish. Be it Boone’s attempt to overcome past traumas, Jacque and Xantia’s explicit acknowledgment and embrace of their identities as pansexual and transgender, or Myamirah’s fear of Cytrus’ peace, the pent-up emotions spill out profoundly.

Boone and Jacque: Cytrus Moonlight introduces some new bizarre characters while recalling some old ones from the prequel. Flitcher fills the novel with scenes and an atmosphere that is visually and auditorily stimulating, letting characters voice up their innermost thoughts and feelings. The mystery persists till the end as Cytrus’ Pandora’s Box of puzzles keeps readers guessing about the whys of many events and what awaits Boone and Jacque inside.

The Boon and Jacque series achieved Finalist status in the OZMA Fantasy Fiction, 2021 CIBA Awards.

August 31, 2022
WHAT REMAINS of LOVE by Suzanne Trauth – Family Saga, Romance, Mystery

Suzanne Trauth’s What Remains of Love begins with the discovery of a family secret.

Siblings Kate and DJ meet with their late father’s lawyer to go over the contents of their father’s will when it is revealed that a woman named Emilie had been added without their knowledge. DJ, an all-business, no-nonsense person, wants to deny the request. Kate wants to fulfill their father’s wishes even though they don’t understand the reason behind it. When they send a letter to Emilie, her daughter replies, stating Emilie has passed away and that she will not accept the money.

Her brother’s curiosity is satisfied, but Kate can’t help but feel there is more to the story, especially given that their father withheld his experiences in the war from them both.

Who was this mysterious woman, and why did their father have such a powerful connection to her? And why did he need to keep their relationship a secret?

While going through her father’s things, she comes across a memoir written by Emilie during the later years of the war. Fans of historical fiction, romance, and books such as Kelly Rimmer’s The Things We Cannot Say will love Suzanne Trauth’s story of love, family, and the passage of time.

Trauth’s novel builds on several subtle layers that beautifully blend to create a profoundly moving story.

The most obvious of these layers is the experience of grief in many forms. After their father passes, Kate and DJ grieve differently from one another. Many times throughout the novel, grief opens opportunities to see the deeper parts of others that are usually hidden, brings family closer, and finds common ground between strangers.

There is also the grief of things had and lost and of life’s what-ifs – that sadness of knowing the past can’t be changed and why things happened the way they did. Through the grief in this story, there is also so much love. The title of this book perfectly fits its message that no matter what happens in life, whether good or bad, love will endure through it all.

What Remains of Love defies simple categories.

One could say it’s a mystery, and readers will turn the pages rabidly like Kate trying to discover what happened to Emilie so long ago. This book is a historical fiction novel with a beautiful love story and a contemporary fiction about a family dealing with life after losing a loved one. Trauth expertly establishes her characters, that they soon feel like they are sitting next to you, telling you the story themselves.

A phenomenal story of life and everlasting love, What Remains of Love will remain with readers long after the last page. Highly recommended.

August 26, 2022
BETTER OFF BALD: A Life in 147 Days by Andrea Wilson Woods – Living with Cancer, Family Memoirs, Sisterhood

There exists a bond between sisters, and often that bond becomes a connection so strong that time cannot erase the love and the longing for the other. Andrea Wilson Woods defines such a bond in Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.

Woods details the choreographed life she lives with her sister Adrienne, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Together they begin their dance, pirouetting around IV ports and long lists of medications. Sisters in life, love, and an all-out war against liver cancer.

Woods retells her story with compassion and a rational eye for detail while embracing all the deep emotions that ravage her as she records every one of the 147 days after the initial diagnosis.

Their confusion about how this could have happened and their hope that they can beat this “thing” growing inside Adrienne are present on each page. Woods makes note of the doctors by name, the nurses by nicknames, and the hospital visits by hours spent waiting, waiting, waiting for help to come and rescue them from the nightmare that cancer has made of their lives.

Adrienne, during this nightmare, remains her fifteen-year-old self, a bright, cheerful, optimistic imp who has brought so much joy to Andrea’s life. Adrienne’s love of music and the artists who create it becomes the beacon for her as her body begins a transformation caused by her cancer and the effect of the drugs used to fight it.

Woods is not only Adrienne’s sister but also her legal guardian, since approximately the age of eight. So, as well as the bond of sisterhood, they have the bond of parent and child. They have relied solely on one another for years, and the love they have for one another grows stronger and brighter. As an educator, Andrea’s love for her sister drives her to research to find a cure.

Andrea quits her job to care for Adrienne.

Her partner John and her biological father help her financially and emotionally. She struggles to remain positive and supportive of this beautiful child being ravaged by an enemy she cannot look in the eye.

Meanwhile, Adrienne salvages her teenage self by hanging out with her boyfriend and other friends when she can.

She goes to the movies with John, the only father she’s ever known, and meets Jay Leno and her musician hero Dave Navarro twice. Woods captures the essence of Adrienne’s youthful exuberance as they all learn to cope with the diagnosis and the grueling treatments that take Adrienne’s hair and strength.

Through this journey, hope reigns supreme, and to the last page, there is a winning spirit that will not be denied. The sisters cling to hope and each other in this candid tale. She gives us glimpses of their lives with their mother and the hardships they overcame for Andrea to gain custody of Adrienne. We see glimpses of the mischievous Adrienne, who doesn’t want to brush her teeth and is the honor student Adrienne who wants to get good grades and go to college.

Woods brings captions and paragraphs from Adrienne’s journal and emails to head each chapter and lead us through the days from 1 to 147. The love she had for her sister shines on every page, and as we root for Adrienne and hold out hope. Andrea navigates us through the labyrinth of the medical profession, becoming well versed in treatments and experimental drugs.

Andrea Wilson Woods’ Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days reflects a time of crushing grief and determination.

She grieves, yes, but she carries on the work of finding a cure for her sister’s cancer. She has devoted her life to making Adrienne’s experience matter, and we learn how much love can drive one to be a positive force. Better off Bald is a must-read for people of all walks of life because each of us is touched by cancer through our family, friends, or our own experiences. Woods’ experiences show us that “winning,” even though it may not be what we think it should be, can be a blessing and a comfort.

Better Off Bald by Andrea Wilson Woods won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Journey Awards for Overcoming Adversity Non-Fiction.

August 24, 2022
PAST THIS POINT by Nicole Marby – Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Nicole Mabry draws from her own life, the impact of a deadly snowstorm, and the subsequent shutting down of the subways to create Past This Point, an action-packed dystopian novel featuring a strong woman who seeks a way out of a world gone mad.

Karis Hylen is working in New York City a massive snowstorm shuts down the city. A total quarantine of the city becomes quarantine for half of the nation.

In the introductory chapters of this daily progression, the reader will quickly realize that Karis, with her Latino family heritage, is nobody’s fool. Karis has a strong will. Her seemingly only chance to beat quarantine’s eerie hold and join her unaffected family in California is thwarted when she isn’t allowed to take her beloved dog Zeke on the flight. She switches into survivalist mode, searching empty apartments around her for food. Along the way, she befriends a mother with two little girls still living there. They all help and bolster one another for a while – until Karis’s luck turns and she becomes even more determined to get out of the horror-infused city.

After battling several ill-intentioned men, she finds one man of character, an Englishman named Ollie, who shares her vision of escape.

Karis has always been unlucky in her relationships with men, but they both know that to remain in New York City will be their death. Luckily Zeke, who has almost developed the ability to speak in human language, approves of Ollie, who supports Zeke when the dog adopts a starving kitten they find.

Frequent phone calls with Karis’s family sustain the couple’s hopes as they face minute-by-minute struggles to get out of the now sealed-off eastern half of the US and through the medical and military checkpoints on the border. These official strictures prove almost as life-threatening as the mysterious virus itself.

Mabry is new to the world of wordsmithing but proves herself up to the challenge.

Her profession in photography has garnered awards and attention, and her prose may draw similar kudos. Like Karis, she has lived in California and New York City and has a canine companion who accompanies her on photographic forays. Readers will yearn for more of her dynamic stories – and perhaps a sequel to the questions raised in this intriguing debut offering.

Past This Point by Nicole Marby won First Place in the 2019 CIBA Global Book Awards for High Stakes Thrillers.

August 23, 2022
TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan by Blue Spruell, illustrated by Miya Outlaw – Japanese Mythology, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Adventure, classic tales, fantasy, and exciting action combine in TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan, a well-poised debut novel by award-winning author Blue Spruell.

In the turbulent final decades of the sixteenth century, feudal Japan reeled in mayhem as the central hereditary dictatorship collapsed, and tyrannical powers fought to control the empire. TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan is the story of how one man revolutionized a nation by taking its reigns and forging a new destiny through his depths of compassion and determination.

The story begins with Taro as a young boy. As an heir to the Takeda family, Taro enjoyed reading, much to his father’s disapproval, as he wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a skilled Samurai. Tragedy changes Taro’s presumed destiny when his parents are murdered in a fierce power struggle, leaving him an orphan. Shortly after, a witch saves him from drowning and begins Taro’s new life of adventure, introducing him to a world of mythical creatures. On this new journey, Taro discovers shocking secrets about his lineage, and with them, his ultimate purpose in medieval Japan.

Author Spruell has written an enrapturing novel that brews literary art and imperial Japanese culture with the complexities of human life.

Imbued with historical elements, this novel is tightly plotted to recreate three famous Japanese folktales that will hold your attention to the last sentence. The graceful and precise prose careens readers through a unique period and place in history, with universal appeal.

Clearly, Spruell did thorough research before writing this novel. His enthusiasm and attention to intricate historical detail shape the plot, shedding a light on this period of Japanese lifestyle, society, and, tradition. Allowing the characters’ warmth, frustration, and hope to speak, TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan becomes a collective attestation to the fortitude of a people and a reflection on the initial stages of a nation’s history.

The feather in the cap of this novel is Miya Outlaw’s grand and enlightening illustrations, which bring out the spirited and energetic life of the Samurai, a world that is uncommon and unknown to many.

The atmospheric representation of disillusionment and yearning that pervades the novel makes this story emotionally resonant. Further, its crystalline writing and flow are cinematic, resulting in a narrative that defies the limitations of any targeted genre.

Indeed, TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan is a remarkable literary feat. Themes such as betrayal, deceit, zeal, and self-sacrifice are vividly evoked and provide a panoramic view of what it took to restore balance in power in a country that was almost torn apart by years of war and ruthless ruling families. Brutal and intense, this work is an excellent addition to its genre.

Taro: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan by Blue Spruell and illustrated by Miya Outlaw won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction.

August 10, 2022
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
VICTORIA And The BIG, BRAVE BREATH by Andrea Vaughan, illustrated by Ryan Feltman – Children’s Books, Anxiety, Children’s Emotion Books

Andrea Vaughan’s Victoria and the Big Brave Breath is a beautifully illustrated children’s book, written to ease conversations about anxiety and worry with a child.

This story teaches children how to calm their nerves by focusing on their breath, using a clever onomatopoeia to help. Vaughn’s book is a timely must-read!

Victoria and the Big, Brave Breath starts with a little girl named Victoria recognizing that she is often worried. She lists examples (trying new foods, going to the doctor, playing in the park) of her anxieties. Physically-speaking, Victoria’s hands sweat, her knees shake and her tummy hurts when her feelings appear. Her teddy bear best friend Baxter has a suggestion for her to ease these unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) feelings.

The friendship that the bear and the girl share is sweet and endearing, as if the bear is an allegory for a friend or family member.

Baxter reassures Victoria that her feelings can be calmed by breathing in and out and reciting the magic word “oobeedoobee”. The bear’s person-like behavior in illustrations, such as his cheeks and warm eyes, are kindhearted and sympathetic towards Victoria. Victoria is hesitant at first, but after trying it she realizes Baxter is right and the technique “…makes her worries much, much smaller.”

The illustrations created by Feltman are vivid, with a lively color scheme.

Victoria’s eyes and complexion add refreshing diversity to the story, and the illustrations maintain a cute and endearing style. Feltman uses tender and gentle images to convey a feeling of emotional openness.

Victoria and the Big, Brave Breath flows well.

The examples given of her feelings are accurate and not overly dramatic. This gives the story an unwavering, clear tone and purpose.

The definition of being anxious is to feel unease or to experience worry or nervousness. If these feelings arise, we must stay present in the moment and focus inwards. Like in Victoria and the Big Brave Breath, we must take our time to breathe and calm ourselves, to understand we are safe, present and capable.

This practice is important especially now, with the ever-changing challenges we face. This book will arm children to know that their feelings are natural, while providing a tool they can use to navigate or calm them, which is only a couple oobeedoobees away.

Victoria and the Big Brave Breath by Andrea Vaughan and illustrated by Ryan Feltman won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers and Children’s Fiction.

August 3, 2022
WINTER’s RECKONING by Adele Holmes – Southern United States Fiction, Women’s Historical Fiction,

In Winter’s Reckoning by Adele Holmes, a mercurial new pastor in town threatens the families of two women.

Welcome to 1917. A time of suspenders for men and, in the cities, bloomers for women. Horse-drawn wagons range the landscape, stoves burn wood, and people have to use outdoor facilities. A time of few vaccines and no antibiotics. People understood little of most diseases. Germ theory still had ground to cover. Women routinely died in childbirth. Life could vanish in a moment.

In rural Jamesville, a Southern Appalachian town, Madeline Fairbanks does what she can to make the lives of friends and neighbors more comfortable. She works as the healer in this community – and has for the past quarter of a century. Madeline eases the passage into and out of life, treating aches and pains in between.

Maddie comes from a long line of healers. Her grandmother taught her, and she’ll pass along what she knows to her granddaughter in turn. Hannah already has the inclination. The time has almost come to give her the ancestral box, which holds herbal remedy recipes and sketches and notes. That box contains all the learning from the women in their family who came before them.

Maddie has also trained an apprentice, Renetta Morgan, who is just about ready to begin working in the community, her own community, alone.

Maddie is white. Renetta is Black. They walk through town together, brazenly traversing from North Main (the white section of town) to South Main (the Black) and back again. Sometimes they go to tend the sick. Sometimes, to the fields and hillsides, gathering the healing flowers and roots and herbs. Other times, they work in Maddie’s cabin, creating tinctures, potions, and ointments. When Renetta learns enough, the two of them must no longer work together.

The long-promised railroad has recently bypassed the town, spelling a slow death for the community, cut off now from the lifeline of the new transportation. With their Main Street shops shutting down, the townsfolk face hard times. In the South, rigid segregation, Jim Crow laws, black codes, and the Klan divide the community. In Jamesville, the pointy hat boys haven’t been active in recent memory, but that’s about to change. Not everyone turns a blind eye to the flagrant close fraternizing of Maddie and Ren, two uppity women who don’t seem to know their place. Tempers are fraying.

Into this small town closing in on itself rides a lone horseman one day, who, after a brief look around, announces that he’s the new pastor. Reverend Carl Howard is the match to the powder keg.

As the town adjusts to this new pastor in their midst, and Reverend Howard takes his measure of the place, we will watch events unfold from the vantage point of three characters, all of whom have secrets to keep. Secrets that could be their undoing.

With the loss of the railroad, another potential casualty looms – one of education.

The town is divided on whether to invest in secondary education or not. Currently, only the primary school offers its young charges the most rudimentary learning. Nothing to build on. With more education, Maddie thinks, real change might be possible. Greater equality between peoples, despite their gender or skin color. Greater freedom for women. Or at least a good step in that direction.

The theme of education and what it can bring – more profound understanding, greater personal freedom and fulfillment, and economic opportunities – underlies the struggle of those for and against keeping women and Blacks “in their place.” One side looks forward to what could be; the other looks back to what has been. The balance of power always tilts in favor of those who have always held it. As the tension mounts, where words fail, violence threatens.

When a severe winter storm hits, everyone’s lives are suspended.

As they wait out the freeze, rationing their supplies and tearing up the porch for firewood, Maddie and Ren will come to know things about each other and themselves. And Hannah will grow up a little.

Set in the brooding rural South, and for a good portion of the novel in the challenging and crystalline world of a deep snowstorm, Winter’s Reckoning is rich in storyline and character with plenty of mystery woven throughout. Simply put, here’s a story that takes on issues whose harm remains with us today. With a climactic pulpit scene that’s not to be missed – and one novel we can highly recommend!

Winter’s Reckoning was a First Place Winner in the 2021 Goethe Awards.

July 20, 2022