Book Review- Jackie K Cooper
The Sound of Glass by Karen White
Karen White's skills as a writer continue to evolve with each new novel she creates. She has emerged as the queen of southern novelists thanks to books such as A Long Time Gone, The Time Between and the Tradd Street series. Now she tops them all with her story of love and enlightenment titled The Sound of Glass.
The Sound of Glass is written for every person who had a loving mother; every child who had a time of doubt; and every heart adrift in a sea of emotions. It is a story that enters the eyes, goes to the brain and settles in the heart. When you have finished with this story you will have a warm feeling for life in general.
Merritt Heyward is a young woman starting out on a new phase in her life. Her husband Cal has died after seven years of marriage and now Merritt finds she has inherited his family home in Beaufort, South Carolina. Hoping to restart her life Merritt packs up and moves. Upon her arrival and before she can even get settled into her new home there is a knock on her door. There she finds her stepmother Loralee and her half brother Owen.
Merritt has never met her ten year old half brother because when her father married Loralee, a woman much younger than he was, Merritt severed her relationship with him. There has been no communication between the families so Merritt is shocked to see them on her doorstep. Still she is not an ogre so she allows them to stay "for a few days." Unknown to her their arrival will impact her life from that point forward.
The growing relationship between Merritt and Owen is one of the best White has ever created. Owen is a child so unhappy with himself that he changes his name to Rocky. He thinks that will make him more acceptable to his peers. His mother goes along with it because she adores him and will do anything and everything to give him the life and the love he deserves. She also knows this must include a warm, loving relationship with his sister. She not only wants this, she is desperate for it.
There are so many factors at play in this story, some joyful, some tender, and some tragic. White lets them all play out at a perfect pace, making the reader prepared for each element that occurs in the progression of these lives.
Some books you read for the pure pleasure of the writing. Others you read for the emotions that are invoked. The Sound of Glass is a book that pays off in both areas. Karen White dug deep to create this tale of the south and it is well worth all of her efforts. Don't miss this one!
The Sound of Glass is published by New American Library. It contains 432 pages and sells for $26.95.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com