Title: A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery
Publisher: Imagery Lit
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 340 pages
Book Rating: C+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by the Author
Summary:
A Kind of Hush examines how life is seldom a tidy affair, exploring whether there is a gray area between right and wrong. Matt and Summer Mackie with children Willa and Gabe are enjoying a June outing at nearby Zoar Valley Gorge, an area showcasing waterfalls, forests, shale cliffs, and a whitewater creek running through the ravine, when tragedy strikes. One parent survives along with their teenage daughter and seven-year-old son found hiding in the nearby woods. Was this a tragic accident or something more heinous, and if so, whodunnit and whydunit?
Set in Buffalo, New York, and in the Big Bend area of Texas, the heart of the novel centers on how survivors deal with the circumstances and subsequent revelations surrounding the incident. But as each one begins to piece together the events of that day, a mantle of ambiguity—a kind of hush—hangs between them like a live grenade without its pin.
Review:
A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery is a family-centric novel about grief and healing.
The Mackie family has already experienced one tragedy when a hiking trip results in the death of a parent. The remaining family members try to navigate their way through mourning their loss while trying to understand the cause of the accident. While oldest daughter Willa is defiant and angry, her brother Gabe finds healthy ways to cope with his pain. Their grandparents and aunt assist them during this terrible time and the death of their loved one is a reminder of how fragile life can be.
The local sheriff’s office believes they know who might be responsible but their suspect proves to be quite slippery. This person leads them on quite the chase as he manages to elude them at every turn. He also manages to convince people along the way that he is quite harmless but some of them can see past his helpful, innocent façade.
A Kind of Hush is a unique family drama with interesting characters. The storyline is intriguing but the pacing is occasionally slow because of overly detailed passages. The overall tone is lighter than expected and some aspects of the story are more realistic than others. JoDee Neathery brings the various settings and characters vibrantly to life and readers will be satisfied with the novel’s conclusion.
