I have to admit that in reading True Stories at the Smoky View I found a story I was not expecting from the synopsis. I still am not quite sure how I feel about the book. It most assuredly kept me reading but it was more from a desire to understand rather than an overwhelming need to get to the end. Now I am the first person to admit that I tend to be a very literal reader and while this is not the most literary of novels it is also not completely straightforward.

So, where am I? Was it a good book? Yes. Do I think that I might need a second read – maybe. Will I have time to read it again – no way. I’ll keep it and perhaps some time in the future when I’m no longer reviewing books. So on with my review…

Vrai heads to her childhood home for the funeral of a man she considered a friend even though he thought that she had betrayed him. She wanted to bring his belongings and his dog to his mother for some sort of closure. While there she encounters old friends and old lovers and ends up with the child of her best friend. A friend who had been murdered a long time ago. This young man, Jonathan is living with another friend but he is not exactly comfortable or totally welcome in the home and he wants to be somewhere else. Somewhere where he can talk about his parents.

The two of them come together in an unlikely way to forge a very unusual relationship. It also leads Vrai on a journey to a life she didn’t know she could have. But it’s not going to be an easy or straight road to the end point.

I do like a book that makes me think and this book certainly did that. The characters are all distinct and very well drawn. The story is unique and that too, was welcome as I continue along this year reading books outside of my comfort zone. ( )