Blog Tour: White Picket Fences

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner is the newest book I have read for a blog tour. I liked the book but I found myself letting it sit for longer periods of time than I normally do before picking it back up. The theme of the book is honesty. Most of the characters have a secret. Big secrets. Secrets that have the potential for harm or at least so they all think. It shows well how honesty really is the best way to go. I did think a few things were kind of left hanging at the end and not tied up as nicely as they could have been, but overall it was a good book.

Summary:

Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way.

Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away.

Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will love White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn’t acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?

Author Bio:

Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn’t driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novel The Shape of Mercy was aPublishers Weekly pick for best religious fiction of 2008 and a Christian Book Award finalist. Susan and her husband live in Southern California, where he is a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four grown children.

I have one copy of the book to giveaway. Please leave a comment if you'd like to be entered. Facebook friends - you may comment over there to be included. One random winner will be announced when I remember to do the drawing but in about a week. ;-)

Interested in reviewing free books yourself? Check out Blogging for Books.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for these book reviews. I am given copies of the books to read in exchange for my review. Of course, this arrangement works well for me since I love to read!