If you follow me on Instagram (if not, why don’t you?!) then you probably saw my post about “Blind Date with a Book” a while back.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, Blind Date with a Book is a new phenomenon in which you purchase a book that is covered with brown paper. There are usually a few words about the genre or theme on the paper, but the title is completely hidden. Talk about not judging a book by its cover!
I was browsing at Andover Bookstore one day when I noticed a table with these covered books. In this case, the store was simply asking for a donation, rather than a set price per book. The proceeds would all go to Lazarus House, a local charity that provides families in poverty with the help they need to get back on their feet. Books, mystery, a good cause… I was sold right away.
I donated and received two books. One was labeled as “a tale of love and murder set against the gilt and glamour of the Roaring Twenties.” The other, “an engrossing, gracefully written family drama.”
Even cooler still? These books hadn’t been released to the public yet. Talk about feeling like a VIP!
I read both books right away, but in case you haven’t noticed, it’s a bit of a struggle for me to keep up with book reviews since I’m pretty much always reading. So, today I’m going to focus on the “family drama.”
Drumroll please……..
A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison.
Suspense, flashbacks, romance, beautiful writing, weird psychological twists… this novel has it all. The story is narrated by Annie, a mother of three. Typical, right? Well, not really, because Annie narrates through a letter she is writing to her teenage son, who is in limbo between life and death.
The reader catches glimpses of what is going on with the son, but a clear picture isn’t painted until the end. The present day is mixed with flashbacks and stories about Annie’s own years as a twenty-something in London. It’s interesting to contrast the troubled young Annie with the seemingly put together suburban mother we are hearing from now. For a while, I wondered how (or if) her past related at all to her son’s predicament.
But trust me. It does.
“Engrossing” and “gracefully written” were the perfect words to include on the Blind Date cover. In fact, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Colorfully Yours,
Haley
