Reading offers catharsis for some of the most difficult situations in life. A well-told story can alleviate our own troubles by offering catharsis through crisis. This month’s reading list doesn’t shy away from torrents of emotion, but you’ll find those springtime showers also bring May flowers.
Bart, Cole and Teddy are hired to build a breathtaking home nestled on a private Wyoming acreage in the novel Godspeed by Nickolas Butler. If they meet the almost unattainable completion deadline provided, they will each receive a financial windfall. What lengths would you to go to change your financial future?
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin is a coming-of-age story following April who, at age 15, sets off on a nomadic life. Over the course of her journey, April makes fast friends with people whom she abruptly leaves to avoid getting hurt again. This novel is a reminder that home is not a building, friends can also be family and opening oneself up to developing honest relationships is worth the risk of loss.
Picture the young adult novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but more compelling and geared toward adults. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner is a split-time story in which a scarf brings two women together, each of whom experienced a tragedy that left them wondering, “What if?” Can something as inconsequential as a full stop at a stop sign change the trajectory of one’s life?
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is the story of two Black twin sisters, Stella and Desiree, growing up in the South during segregation. At age 16, Stella vanishes to secretly build a new life for herself while Desiree stays in their hometown. This book focuses on the interconnectedness of home and family; each step we take is like a pebble in a pool with the ripples continuing even after the stone has settled at the bottom.
Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer is a raw, beautifully written novel that focuses on postpartum depression and family secrets. As her father’s time on earth is ending, Beth volunteers to clean out his home only to discover a secret her parents had been hiding. Was Beth’s mother a victim of the legal system or did she suffer from a lack of spousal support?
Grab your tissues because The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein will pull at your heartstrings. This story is told through Denny’s dying dog, Enzo, a pup who has more insight into people than most people do. Enzo tells the harrowing story of Denny, an aspiring race car driver, and his family dynamics up to when Denny speaks the fateful words to Enzo: “If you need to go now, you can go.”
Local bookworms Katie Timcho and Amy Sundet run a book blog. @overbookedmoms.
