Synopsis
Odd things happen in Kiminee, Illinois. Lilacs bloom in winter. Gravel glows golden on occasion. Pigs play kick the can. So when Carly Mae Foley learns to read at age two and masters multiplication at age three, the town’s quirky, tight-knit denizens take it in stride and embrace her with pride. But when a terrible twister tears through, Carly Mae is maimed, dashing hopes for her future. Her father is swept away and assumed dead. And her mother slinks off after creeping, naked, with her lover from the remains of a ruined home. It’s up to Carly Mae’s grandmother and a devoted, one-eared dog to hold what’s left of the family together. But not everyone is rooting for them, and when an unspeakable crime occurs, long-held animosities boil over. Will the good folks of Kiminee pull closer together now—or be torn apart?
Influenced by folklore and magical realism, The Kiminee Dream is a lyrical story with characters equally charmed and challenged while living where the ordinary and miraculous coexist seamlessly. If you like depth as well as whimsy, arresting twists, and details that rouse your senses, you’ll love what is both an eloquent exploration of acceptance and a tender tribute to the people of Illinois.
Available in multiple formats via the Author’s Website
Review
This historical novel is ultimately about family. Family may not always mean blood relatives, but those that you care about or care about you and your well-being. Families often fight and not get along, but overall they do care about each other.
Carly Mae is a unique child and some might say a prodigy. Is it genetic or just a strange fluke of nature? All is going well in her family until a tornado twists its way through town and rips apart a family and town that might barely be held together.
The book jumps around to different perspectives of the different characters. While the majority of the time it is from Carly Mae’s perspective, there are times when it is from her mother, father, siblings, or other citizens of the town including Tam-Tam, one of the oldest residents of Kiminee. The book spans approximately ten years but there are some flashes to the past and certain situations that created some tension between people and it assists in setting up the current family dynamic and the mystery that lies within.
The book has a mystical aspect to it as well. There is the field of Black-Eyed Susans that turn red at exactly 5:05 pm, the animals that seem to know who needs to be led to other characters, and just the interaction between everyone and their beliefs.
I enjoyed being swept away between reality and fantasy. Of course, the mystery aspect had me wondering who was this young woman at the beginning of the book that disappeared? What was the feud between Missy and Tam-Tam about? What happened to Damon after the tornado? Why does Emily get sick every time she is in Kiminee? So many questions and all were answered at some point in the book. Some had heartwarming conclusions and others were sad but had an upbeat resolution. It was fascinating to see how each storyline came together by the end of the book.
There were times when we would get a glimpse of what was happening with someone and I wanted to know more but had to wait until further in the book. Definitely teaser moments.
Overall, an enjoyable story and we give it 3 1/2 paws up.
About the Author
As a child, I loved the musicality of language and often recalled, verbatim, conversations I heard. A lost soul in my teens and early twenties, I finally righted myself in my mid-twenties and discovered a deep love of the creative process. I’ve been hooked on that ever since.
Significant mentors for me have been surrealist poet Nanos Valaoritis, who kept groups of students spellbound during office hours at San Francisco State University, and Ruth Stotter, a master storyteller who taught me the importance of getting out of the way of tales I am meant to tell.
My newest work, a novel titled The Kiminee Dream, incorporates fantastic elements but is grounded in reality—a place I like to straddle in fiction. My published books have received recognition in the indie publishing sphere, including the National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and Indie Fab Book Awards, among others. In addition, four of my short plays have been produced recently in Northern California, where I live with my husband and two goofy little mutts.
