Missing Isaac

GIVEAWAY

LUESSE, VALERIE FRASER
MISSING ISAAC

There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcasting on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.

It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete -- and the people he loves most -- will have to blur the hard lines of race, class and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.

My Review:

A remarkable debut novel that highlights a slice of Southern living back in the 1960s. Missing Isaac is a coming of age story that put me in mind of the Waltons and I'm not quite sure I can explain why. Because this isn't a large family struggling to eke out a living in the Depression Era. Pete is an only child and though his family are farmers, they are the wealthy kind. I guess it's the southern small town  atmosphere and a young man growing up and learning hard lessons along the way that creates the John-Boy/Pete parallel in my mind.

Fraser has a beautiful writing voice -- the kind that lures you into the pages and begs you to stay a long while. Pete's story spans years and during that time we get to watch as he matures into an honorable young man. All the while an unsolved tragedy shapes his present, defines his relationships and shadows his future. The subtle mystery plays out in the background as life goes on despite Pete's best efforts to discover why Isaac has gone missing.

The strength of this novel comes from its characters. Such a cross-section of live out-loud people who made me smile and squirm...and shed a tear or two. Especially as the mystery unravels. And there are two romances, though Missing Isaac is categorized as Historical Fiction. You know I love my romance and these two are sweet perfection despite (or maybe because of) the struggles along the road to their HEA.

Fans of Ann H. Gabhart's Heart of Hollyhill series will want to welcome newcomer Valerie Fraser Luesse's debut onto their keeper shelves.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like to win a copy of Missing Isaac, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title in the subject so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday August 12 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!