***This just in...contest below***
No, forgive ME. I apologize to any readers who saw the title and expected a juicy confession here. But I did promise to be more diligent and timely with my book reviews. I finished this just yesterday, so I am proud to post the review today.
When the publisher sent me this gem, I was delighted because I had read Sleep Toward Heaven in February, 2004 upon the recommendation of my Mom and loved it.
Forgive Me tells the story of Nadine, a fearless, jaded reporter who is always chasing the next world tragedy and is able to look the sociopolitical horrors in the face without flinching. Naturally, she is drawn to post-Apartheid South Africa where both races are still struggling to bring justice to the perpetrators and make sense of their actions.
The story opens as Nadine is pursuing a story in Mexico where she suffers a brutal assault. As she recovers, she is torn between a life in the sedate town of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and the pursuit of a story in South Africa. The story takes on a personal meaning when she meets the parents of the victim, a Nantucket native, and reads his journal.
The backdrop of the torn fabric of South Africa's culture gives Forgive Me a depth that transcends Nadine's individual experience. The author uses language and details that immerse the reader in the prose:
"Still, Nadine loved talking to her subjects for hours, drinking tea and picking the locks of their minds."
"Nadine had to listen carefully for the narrative beneath the facades they constructed for themselves."
Forgive Me is about kindness and fear, the white lies that make the difference in our memories and the fierce loyalty that connects friends and families in the face of unspeakable experience.
Di
***P.S. I just visited Amanda Eyre Ward's website and invited her to read my review. As much as I hate adding to my competition, I feel compelled to let you know that she is running a great contest on her site. You can win a gift basket full of things that are relevant to the book or you can win a copy of the book itself!***
Click here to enter
Comments