The Husband Hour
by Jamie Brenner
[Book]
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Brenner (The Forever Summer, 2017) returns with another sun soaked emotional saga. After her NHL-star-turned-Army-Ranger husband Rory was killed in Iraq, Lauren Kincaid spent four years isolated at her family’s beach house on the Jersey Shore, running 12 miles a day, working at a local restaurant, and avoiding (or possibly wallowing in) grief. Now Lauren’s parents, sister, and nephew have descended en masse for the summer, bringing their own worries and upheaval with them. Matt Brio, a documentary filmmaker, wants to tell Rory’s story, and needs Lauren to fill in the gaps. There’s more to the story than public accounts include, more than even Lauren knows, and Matt is scrambling to put it all together before his funding runs out. Secrets are shared, connections are made, and everything falls apart for Lauren and her family before it comes back together.
Brenner tackles grief, trust, and family dynamics in this tale about coming to terms with the past in order to move toward the future. Choice reading for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and summer beaches.
Reviewed by Alene
Tagged: Families, Fiction, Grief
The Truth Is
by NoNieqa Ramos
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Author of The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary, NoNeiqa Ramos’ second book, The Truth Is, explores LGBTQ+ identities, teenage homelessness, grief and trauma through the eyes of Verdad, a fifteen-year-old Puerto Rican queer kid who is just trying to get by.
After losing her best friend to gun violence, Verdad is not okay. And by the end of the book, she is still not okay. That’s what is so amazing about this novel. There are no easy outs or tidy endings. It demonstrates how messy (and joyful) life can be, especially for those with underrepresented and marginalized identities. Verdad’s friends have diverse races, genders and sexualities, and they are all fully developed characters with charms and flaws just like the next person. Their identities are pieces of who they are, but they aren’t all of who they are. Even as an adult I felt so much joy and recognition in these pages. If you’re looking for a YA book to read this spring, pick this up! You won’t regret it.
Reviewed by Sarena
Tagged: Families, Fiction, Grief, LGBTQ, Trauma
Happy People Read and Drink Coffee.
by Agnes Martin-Lugand
[Book]
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It’s been a year since Diane’s husband and small daughter died tragically, and she hasn’t left her Paris apartment. Her friend Felix has been running their bookstore cafe, Happy People Read and Drink Coffee, into the ground. Her parents and in-laws think she simply needs to move on. That doesn’t seem possible, but one day she decides to move to Ireland, choosing the spot by placing her finger on a map. There, the volatile weather, the tiny village, and a hostile neighbor all contribute to her cigarette and wine-fueled return to life. She makes bad decisions, makes better decisions, and navigates her revised existence mostly on her own. Translated from the French by Sandra Smith, movie rights have already been sold and a sequel is imminent. For readers of women’s journeys and tales of hope, this slim volume engages the thoughts and feelings without whitewashing grief.
Reviewed by Alene
Tagged: Fiction, Grief, Inspiration, Ireland, Women
