MixedAP NewsWhat starts as an exhausting birthday party for Cora’s 2-year-old twins ends with a missing woman, a possible affair and an ever-growing list of secrets. Katie Sise’s We Were Mothers expertly snaps readers to attention ... The saga unfolds through the lens of four women navigating family life in the picturesque town of Ravendale, New York. Three of the women find themselves tethered together by the death of Cora’s sister, Maggie, and the mystery shrouding the night she died ... While some conflicts seem thrown in haphazardly, and ultimately dizzy the plot rather than flesh it out, Cora’s chapters read like laugh-out-loud mom-lit. Timing, inner discourse and believable fiascos blend together producing fantastic scenes, like when Cora pretends her toddler is only joking after the child slaps her mother’s face in front of the neighbors. Her observations and vulnerability carry the read.
Joyce Carol Oates
MixedThe Associated Press\"Imagery takes a back seat to intellectual discourse. While readers receive a clear picture of the university campus where Adriane, now dubbed \'Mary Ellen,\' resides, showy descriptions are limited. In their place are professors\' lectures along with Adriane\'s bewilderment and ever-growing skepticism over her new home.What starts as a familiar dystopian story line morphs into a tale so perplexing one shouldn\'t read this book alone. Cerebral book clubs, clear your calendars.\
Donna Hylton with Kristine Gasbarre
PositiveThe Associated PressHylton endured so much suffering that swaths of the read take summary form. While her traumas are gut-wrenching, she keeps a reserved distance from the most lurid details and focuses more on her survival techniques (which largely involved blacking out) and destroyed self-worth. The result is a wide-angle-lens shot of how abuse impacts women over the course of their lives. While any yearlong period of her journey is book-worthy, Hylton condenses her experiences into one read. In doing so, her life stands as a case study illustrating how prison reform efforts and support for women in abusive situations can transform individual lives and society.
Tana French
RaveSalonFrench incessantly pushes the plot of The Trespasser forward with absorbing dialogue and shifty villains. When the investigation hits walls, relationships grow and morph, making the work as much about internal conflicts as external. Antoinette narrates with a rich, raw voice. Her sarcasm combined with a wry, hard-edged view on life may weary readers, but keep reading, because as in all of the author’s work, meaning lurks beneath every quip and glance. French not only spins a twisty cop tale, she also encases it in meticulous prose, creating a read that is as elegant as it is dark.
