Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
A freelance
writer, editor, proofreader, and former graphic designer, Boris is the author
of two other novels, The Joke’s on Me
and Drawing Breath. She lives with
her husband in the Hudson Valley of New York.
For more,
visit Boris’ website.
Description:
“When
pneumonia lands Estelle Trager unconscious in the emergency room, it ruins
everything for the stubborn 65-year-old woman. She'd been keeping a secret—a
deadly secret—that she'd planned on taking to the grave. But now her son Adam
and his wife, Liza, know about her tumors. Adam is outraged, but Estelle, who
watched her mother and grandmother suffer from breast cancer in the days when
no one dared speak its name, has no intention of putting her family or herself
through the horrors of cancer treatment. Estelle decides there is only one
solution: ask Liza, the 33-year-old daughter-in-law she once called a godless
hippie raised by wolves, to kill her.”
Appraisal:
This is the
second book I’ve read by Laurie Boris, and although the story and characters
are much different, it struck me that the other book, Drawing Breath, had a character suffering from a serious disease
too. This is a time-tested recipe to create conflict, one of the more important
qualities a book needs to draw a reader in and make them care about what
happens.
I would
describe Don’t Tell Anyone as
character driven. The main point-of-view character is Liza and the story
revolves around how she, her husband Adam, their family, and friends deal with
Liza’s mother-in-law, Estelle, after she is diagnosed with cancer. Not to
mention how Estelle reacts and the chain-reaction among all concerned. It’s an
interesting spotlight on the dynamics of relationships, both within families
and between friends.
Format/Typo Issues:
My reading
was based on a beta version. Unable to judge the final product in this area.
Rating: ***** Five stars
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