Blackberry Winter: A Novel
Plume (September 25, 2012)
Published by The Penguin Group
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0452298385
Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator’s.
Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 “blackberry winter” storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
What a wonderful story! A story that was inspired by a song the author just happened to hear one day on the radio. I am amazed how authors take just a couple of words and create such wonder for us to read and enjoy.
A mystery entwined with emotions so raw. Mothers will feel this story not only in their hearts but in their souls. The love a mother has for a child cannot be measured. The lengths that mothers will go to for their children is infinite. The loss of a child leaves an imprint on your very being. Nothing is ever the same. Jio takes us into the lives of two women that are grieving, just trying to get through the days.
The main characters of Vera and Claire are fleshed out and so real. I was also drawn to Charles. His heart was in the right place but circumstances of the times made things difficult. I had hoped for a little different resolution but as I kept reading and the story started to mesh the pages couldn’t turn fast enough. The story had to play out just as it did for the surprise at the end.
This is a book you are going to want on your keeper shelf. It along with the other books by this author are going to become the classics of this time. Stories we want to share and read over and over again.
To find out more about this author check out her webpage here.