Book Of the Moment

It’s officially summer! There is much reading to be celebrated, especially after our blackberry winter: this is a delightful weather term for the unexpected late May snowstorms that occasionally plague northern climates. I won't forget our 17 inches of snow on May 2nd this year for awhile. But blackberry winter is also the title of a wonderful song by Hilary Kole, which inspired the book by Sarah Jio.

As many of you know I love to recommend Sarah Jio’s books, especially perfect for summer reads.

Blackberry Winter takes place in Seattle in 1935 and the present with two snowstorms separated by nearly a century on the 2nd May. During the first snowstorm a child is kidnapped and never found although his mother relentlessly searches. Decades later after another storm, a reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to a similar snow and is asked to write a story on the unsolved abduction. She investigates with unexpected family consequences. Claire herself is undergoing a difficult time with the premature death of her child and estrangement of her husband.

There is a gentle mystery with interesting character development and an uplifting resolution of family threads. I enjoyed the historical details and found the lives of the present day families moving.  Illustrating the power of hope and dreams, this is a heartfelt and engaging novel, perfect for that lazy summer weekend. Don't miss her newest novel The Last Camellia.

Quotes

Every child deserved a taste of cake, even poor ones.

…just one button remained. At 5 cents apiece, it seemed frivilous to think of replacing the ones that had gone missing.

Seattle seems to have an insatiable appetite for condos and Starbucks

His life was like a tragic novel missing the final chapter, a beautiful one. We’d found it, dusted it off, and now it was time to read it.

Your heart never forgets your mother.