ON BLUE FALLS POND

Susan Crandall

Warner Forever

ISBN:  0-446-61639-7

January 2006

Contemporary Romance

Glory Harrison is on her way home to Tennessee after her Gran, Tula, asks for her help to deal with worsening eyesight.  Two years prior, Glory had left Blue Falls Pond after the tragic loss of her husband in a house fire.  At the same time her daughter was stillborn and Glory needed to escape the small town questions and pity.  She also left to try and escape her own grief, especially since she could not remember the events leading up to the fire.

Eric Wilson is the handsome fire chief, divorced with a three year old son.  He is close to Tula, who cares for his son Scott a few days a week.  Eric is desperately worried about Scott, who exhibits symptoms of autism.  He is also dealing with his ex-wife Jill who wants to deny their son’s problems and is reluctant to get psychiatric care. 

This fascinating novel peels away the layers of Glory’s memory and her feelings about her husband and marriage like the skin of an onion.  Slowly, with her grandmother’s help and common sense wisdom, she begins to make sense of her terrible loss and the memories associated with it.  While this is going on, she is getting more and more attached to Eric and his emotional strength. 

This book deals with a host of painful subjects including abuse, amnesia, autism, infidelity, divorce, and macular degeneration.  But the novel is also infused with a healthy dose of hope and optimism and this is what ultimately keeps it from being heavy and depressing.  In the end, the story is about triumph over life’s adversity and for this reason, readers are sure to love this latest offering from Susan Crandall.  This is a well-written, compelling novel and I went to bed far too late reading this one.
 

Reviewed by Jeri Neal

Rating: 4.5