When Sara returns to Savannah eight years after she left in the wake of a terrifying sexual assault, she does so because her father, a bookstore owner, is ailing. She brings with her Alana, her daughter born as a result of the rape by the drunken son of a prominent Savannah family. 

Complications ensue when her father's condition turns out to be worse than she'd anticipated. He is, in fact, months away from death, so she reluctantly decides to remain in Savannah with Alana to support Hosea, even if that means that her assailant's family might well learn about Alana's existence, which she has managed to keep secret since her daughter was born. 

Alana is no ordinary child. She is a genius, fascinated by mathematical equations and time, her mind more like that of her biological father than that of Sara, who is a poet. Daniel, the rapist, is also a genius, as is his twin brother Jacob. And here is the crux of the major problem with the novel: Sara manages to fall in love with Jacob, the identical twin of the man who assaulted her. 

ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH is a debut novel by a talented writer, Terah Shelton Harris, a collections development librarian in Dothan, Alabama. Many reviews cite the relationship between Sara and Jacob as requiring a suspension of disbelief. It simply seems impossible that a victim of sexual assault would fall for her rapist's identical twin, at least not without more agonizing than occurs in the novel. 

The other problem is the genius thread running through the book. The Wyler twins, as well as their younger sister who'd died in a car crash are all geniuses. Alana, Sara's daughter is a genius. Hosea, Sara's father has a form of selective mutism in that he doesn't speak or even write notes, but communicates purely through the recitation of poetry. Sara herself is a published poet who receives royalty checks, which is also rare. 

There are too many rare birds in this story, at the expense of characters who are just normal people living their lives. That being said, there's also much to appreciate here. Daniel, who is about to be released from prison, is dying of cancer. For much of his time in prison, he has been trying to atone for his crime, throwing his energy and intellect in humanitarian projects within the prison system. The strongest parts of the book revolve around these themes of atonement, forgiveness, and loss. 

Harris wrote the book in response to the mass shooting at the church known as Mother Emmanuel in Charleston after she learned that parishioners forgave the shooter. How, she wondered, did they do so? How do you forgive the unforgivable? She realized she need to think about what it meant to forgive, and ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH is her treatise on that. 

This was the part of the book that resonated with me. Sara maintains boundaries while leaving herself open to loving Jacob. Her love for her daughter has led her to hide her away from the Wyler family out of fear that the twins' grandmother Birdie might attempt to seek custody. By the end of the book, she must come to terms with the woman who vilified her during the trial eight years earlier, especially if he wants Jacob in her life. 

Harris takes on difficult topics, and she's not done with these characters. She plans to carry on with their story in future books. With a strong debut novel, she's an Alabama author I know we'll be hearing from again. 

ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH is a available through the Camellia Net ebook collection, available now at Moon Lake Library. Download the Libby app to read it on your phone or tablet. The title is being made available for multiple readers simultaneously because Harris is a new Alabama writer who is getting some buzz nationally. If you want to find out more about how to access Camellia Net, stop by the library for information. 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is one of those books that readers will appreciate most if they go into it in the dark. Don’t read reviews like this one. Avoid spoilers. The less you know, the better.

I knew that Jodi Picoult was one of the authors, and that was enough for me. I would read anything she writes because she has the ability to develop complex characters and then throw them into a world of hurt, while tossing in some unexpected twists along the way. I knew too that it was about a high school student accused of killing his girlfriend. I wasn’t aware of any other books in which she’d collaborated with another writer, so I wondered what this latest novel would be like on account of that second voice. 

As it turns out, Mad Honey works beautifully, and my ignorance was bliss indeed. Two story lines unfold throughout the novel, narrated by Asher’s mother Olivia and Lily, his girlfriend. A single parent who has moved back to the family farm and has expanded their beekeeping operation into a thriving business, Olivia feels like their life is on the right track. People around their small town know her for the honey and beeswax products she sells at the local farmers’ market. Asher is in love, and Olivia is genuinely fond of Lily, his girlfriend. The two of them seem well suited and appear to make each other genuinely happy. Which is why Olivia is stunned to learn that Lily has been found dead at her home and Asher is charged with her murder. 

Olivia’s chapters move forward through time from Lily’s death and Asher’s arrest, through his incarceration, and his trial. Lily’s chapters turn back time, beginning with the day of her death and moving back through the months before. We learn her backstory, how she and her mother Ava came to live in the small New Hampshire town, and why Lily is capable of both giving and guarding her heart.

The one small point I’d quibble about is that in his trial, Asher is defended by his uncle, Olivia’s brother Jordan who is a high-powered attorney. Lawyers don’t normally represent relatives, particularly in high profile cases like this one. At minimum I’d expect a conversation to take place in which Olivia and Jordan hash this out. Instead Jordan just rolls in, prepared to represent Asher himself instead of referring him to another attorney. It doesn’t hurt the book too badly, but readers familiar with the legal profession will be a bit surprised. 

The lyricism of Picoult’s writing about Olivia’s bees created a beautiful counterpoint to the painful story. I enjoyed learning about beekeeping culture, including traditions like informing the bees of a death in the family. I’d never heard of “mad honey” before, a substance that has been known to cause symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, convulsions, and more. And the book includes recipes for the honey-related treats Olivia makes, something I was grateful for after reading about these delicious foods. 

I highly recommend Mad Honey and look forward to purchasing it for my library. I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

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There isn't. But there's a conscientious male nurse called Sanjay who Heimlichs the choker, Piers,  back to life. That's just the beginning of the chain of actions and reactions that changes the lives of a group of commuters on train. By the time "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" winds down, readers will have enjoyed a bit of romance, break-ups, humiliation, trauma, career changes, and redemption. The cast of characters includes Sanjay the nurse, his crush Emmie, teenaged outcast Martha, and Piers, along with Iona and Bea, the love of Iona's life. 

The book is a reminder of the sweetness of human connection, something that is easy to lose in a world of virtual relationships. Iona is her own woman, a character with a strong voice, and a streak of independence. But when she needs her new friends, they rally around her, just as she ministered to them in their time of need. "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" will be published June 7, 2022, by Pamela Dorman Books, and I look forward to purchasing a copy for the library. Fans of Frederik Backman's "A Man Called Ove" will enjoy Iona and her train mates.  

I received a pre-publication copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. ​