Review: Hungry Mother Creek by Heather W. Cobham

Title: Hungry Mother Creek by Heather W. Cobham
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 385 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Inspired by the idyllic setting of Oriental, North Carolina, Hungry Mother Creek is a story of love, loss, and the healing power of speaking your truth.

To the outside world it looks like Maya Somers lost everything in Hurricane Katrina: her husband, the bungalow they shared and her job. But inside, Maya knows Katrina gave her the gift of a fresh start. She and her yellow lab, Doodle Bug, leave the destruction of the Gulf Coast for North Carolina and settle in Oriental, a quaint fishing village on the Pamlico Sound.

In her new home by the water, Maya begins to rebuild her life. She knows she needs to heal from her abusive marriage and the trauma of Hurricane Katrina, but isn’t sure where to start. It isn’t long before teachers appear to help her: Hazel, her elderly but spirited neighbor who has secrets of her own; Travis, a handsome kayak guide to whom she immediately feels a strong attraction; Buster, a crusty old fisherman who always seems to show up just when she needs him; and Bay Witherspoon, the much younger wife of a wealthy attorney who becomes a close friend despite their initial differences. Maya finds the most profound help when she is welcomed into a women’s circle that meets on the banks of Hungry Mother Creek. Gathered with these women, Maya learns that becoming vulnerable and sharing her pain with others is the first step of her healing journey.

What is the second step? Maya isn’t sure, but with the help of her loyal yellow lab, her new friends and the peace of living by the water, she stays the course. Ultimately, Maya finds the healing journey to be messy, tangled and unpredictable. The result is nothing she could have ever imagined.

The Review:

Hungry Mother Creek by Heather W. Cobham is a lovely novel of new beginnings, friendship and healing. When Hurricane Katrina survivor Maya Somers relocates to a small tranquil town in North Carolina, she meets several people who aid her as she tries to make peace with her painful past.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Maya is still struggling to make sense of her marriage. She is haunted by lingering questions about her husband, his untimely death and most important, why she stayed with him after his behavior drastically changed. The joy and contentment she experiences in her new life is overshadowed by her guilt that her chance at happiness is a direct result of her husband’s death. It is not until a group of women welcome her into their loving fold that Maya is finally able to reconcile her conflicted emotions about her husband and her unanswered questions with the promising future she so richly deserves.

Maya is a sympathetic protagonist and it is easy to understand why she is so desperate for answers. Two years after Hurricane Katrina, she still cannot fully accept that she may never find what she is searching for and this part of the storyline quickly becomes frustrating and a little repetitious. The pace of the story really picks up after Maya becomes friends with an eclectic group of women are also dealing with problems of their own. Through unconditional friendship, unwavering support and helpful advice, each of them finds the strength to face their fears and eventually find a measure of peace.

Hungry Mother Creek is an emotional and insightful novel that is quite enjoyable. The vibrant and colorful cast of intriguing characters is well-developed and appealing.  The setting is unique and Heather W. Cobham brings it vividly to life. All in all, it is an engaging story that is  poignant yet uplifting and hopeful.