(Reviewed by Ishita RC)
“The past cannot be changed; the future is in your hands”
Grief has a way of crippling a family.
One night, a simple father-son bonding moment and a drunk driver changed the course of life for the Kostoff family. In an attempt to heal the gaping wound created by the loss of a father and a husband, Mary decides to relocate the family to Stan’s hometown in Indiana. There, Teddy finds inspiration in an old book which Bulgarian fathers have always read to their sons. Will he finally be able to move past the survival guilt that has been haunting him?
Mary Kostoff also undergoes a life-changing discovery when she meets the stunning, dark beauty Rosetta, who turns out to have a far more significant role in their lives beyond a simple association through a book club. Three lives are gonna change for good, as old history comes to life. Will they survive the change and choose happiness?
This debut novel of Violetta Armour is truly a gem meant to be discovered by all book lovers. The story is a poignant narration in three different voices of Mary and Teddy Kostoff and Rosetta Stone revolving around the main motif of Family and Love. I know three voices sound a bit difficult to imagine and comprehend, however it made sense looking at the main plot surrounding grief of losing a loved one. Each narration reveals a bit about the character itself and helps the reader in falling in love with them, and at the same time they help in creating a bond among the character which helps in keeping a smooth flow of the story. What I appreciated the most about this use of literary technique is that, unlike the commonly practiced style of dragging the story by using a personal narrative style, each of them have been kept short and yet insightful enough for readers to appreciate the character development, their thoughts and their strengths and weakness. My involvement with the characters was so deep that for a moment, I forgot that I was reading a fictional book.
The attention to detail helped me in focusing my attention to the story line and helped me in creating a bond with the book and its character. The title is definitely justified looking at the plot; but the cover image lacks the soothing and emotional comfort that the story itself provided me.
As you can tell, I loved the book. You just might have few empathetic moments as you progress through it.
