Reading for Me

I finally did it! I finished reading Nancy Johnson’s The Kindest Lie. Here’s hoping that my reading drought has finally come to an end.

Don’t misunderstand. My reading drought had nothing to do with the novel. I liked the book a lot and found the plot interesting and fun to read. I just did not want to sit in my corner chair with a book in hand. This weekend, I decided to simply put my nose back in the book, enjoy some good food, and read. I’m glad I did.

The Kindest Lie tells the story of Ruth, a successful African-American engineer living in Chicago with her husband during the election of President Obama. As the couple begin to discuss beginning a family, Ruth must confess that she was a teen mother, but does not know her child or where he ended up. Saddled with guilt, Ruth travels back to her Indiana home in an effort to discover the truth about her child. Along the way, she comes face to face with lies, deceptions, and cover-ups intended to keep her from discovering her child’s identity. What lies are we willing to tell in order to protect our children and allow them to fulfill their dreams? Is a lie ever an act of love? Johnson raises these and other interesting questions in her latest novel as it explores the meaning of parenthood and when a lie can be the kindest act of love a parent can express.

Posted in Book of the Month, fiction