More Than We Remember

Starred review from December 23, 2019
The lives of three women living in the small town of West Crow, Ore., intersect in the aftermath of a fatal car accident in this delicately crafted tale from Nelson (Swimming in the Deep End). After Addison Killbourn’s husband, Caleb, is badly injured and hospitalized in a car accident in which a woman is killed and Caleb appears to be at fault, it’s Deputy Emilia Cruz’s job to investigate. Emilia, meanwhile, is haunted by a fire that nearly killed her firefighter husband, leaving him distant from her and her teen daughter. Addison’s neighbor Brianne, a therapist, jumps in to help with the care of Addison’s three children in the wake of the accident—despite her own struggles with the death of a client and loneliness. Told in the distinct voices of each woman, the tapestries of their lives are presented in a deliberate and sensitive manner. Readers will find the characters’ struggles—parenting teenagers, dealing with substance abuse, and chronic medical conditions, among them— are rendered realistically, and their faith is subtle but provides an unshakable foundation. This is an excellent tale of how community and faith help people through difficult times. Agent: Cynthia Ruchti, Books & Such Literary.

Starred review from January 1, 2020
The lives of three women struggling with faith and personal issues intersect when a tragic accident occurs in their small town. Addison Killbourn and her family have just moved to West Crow, Oregon, the hometown of her coach husband, Caleb, to take care of his widowed mother while building their dream house nearby. When Caleb is involved in a fatal car accident, and tests reveal both alcohol and oxycodone in his system, investigating officer Deputy Emilia Cruz is determined to see that the well-loved coach pays for his actions. Emilia's husband, Roger, was a firefighter until last year, when an accident caused by a careless drunk left him with a head injury that has had a profound impact on their life together. Addison's neighbor Brianne Demanno, a therapist, is trying to figure out what to do next after a teen she'd been treating commits suicide. Nelson gives each woman a strong voice as they deal with a myriad of problems. Readers who are looking for faith-based women's fiction will be quickly drawn into this powerful novel that is, by turns, heartbreaking and uplifting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)