Guest Post & Review – Harriet Hates Lemonade by Kim McCollum
Synopsis
Meet Harriet. But don’t be surprised if she isn’t interested in meeting you.
Harriet has life all figured out, and she doesn’t hesitate to inform others of their shortcomings. Though her attempts to become president of the homeowners association failed, that doesn’t stop her from berating “off-leash-dog-man” or from reporting the neighbor who had the audacity to leave their Easter decorations up an entire week past the holiday. The problem is, unbeknownst to her, Harriet’s rigid rules and judgmental opinions are not her own.
Her ordered life plunges into chaos when a twelve-year-old neighbor knocks on Harriet’s door seeking help because the girl’s father is physically abusing her mother. Reluctantly, Harriet comes to her neighbor’s aid and, in the process, recognizes her own insidious abuse, which has unwittingly shaped her isolated, rigid existence. To escape her crushing loneliness, she must learn to break free from the patterns of control and isolation that have defined her life and learn to connect with people she previously viewed as heathens.
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Guest Post
My Experience Working with a Local Abuse Shelter
By Kim McCollum
I was honored to be part of a program with Haven, the local abuse shelter in Bozeman, Montana, called End the Silence. Every week, a small group of us met to perform the raw, exhausting work of working through our stories of abuse. We weren’t just revisiting the past. We were working together to find the language for experiences that had been buried under layers of shame and confusion. We shared stories of both physical abuse and the deeply insidious emotional abuse that leaves a person a shadow of their former self.
These weekly meetings were a transformation. We learned how to articulate the specific, quiet ways that control operates, how a partner’s rules slowly become the bars of a cage. Eventually, we took our hard-won truths to Haven’s annual fundraiser. As hard as it was to stand on a stage in front of hundreds of community members and tell the story I had been too embarrassed to tell even my closest friends and family members for years, I felt the air in the room change as we spoke. The response was immediate and visceral. People told us that our accounts helped them understand what these patterns look like in a “normal” life. Our stories became a mirror, helping others see their own reflections in the patterns we described.
This experience became the theme of my second novel, Harriet Hates Lemonade. I wanted to show that abuse isn’t always a loud explosion. Often, it is a systematic dismantling of a person’s sense of self. Much of what I learned through Haven and the End the Silence program informed Harriet’s inner world, illustrating how easily an abuser can rewrite their partner’s internal monologue.
The goal of ending the silence is to offer a lifeline. By sharing our truths, we give friends, family, and strangers permission to recognize the unhealthy patterns in their own lives. Storytelling creates a safe space to begin a journey away from danger. Whether on a stage in Bozeman or through the pages of a novel, telling these stories is how we help each other find the courage to leave, the strength to heal, and the power to reclaim our lives.
Excerpt
One such day, years ago, she’d donned her favorite sundress, the light blue one with the small daisies, and set out hoping to make a good first impression. Her mother told her about never having a second chance.
Harriet started with her closest neighbor, right next door. Watching discreetly from the dining room window, she’d learned they had two little girls, around two and four. On the pie delivery day, Harriet waited until they’d been home a half an hour to let them settle in a bit and then made her way to their front porch and rang the bell.
From behind the door Harriet heard, “Elizabeth, how dare you! Get over here!” The smile she’d readied for the encounter slid from her face. Figuring this wasn’t a good time, Harriet turned to leave. The door swung open. From her dining room window, this woman had appeared around thirty, and attractive, despite her rather frumpy clothing, but up close, she appeared to be closer to fifty. The creases on her forehead were so deep they didn’t disappear even when she relaxed her scowl.
“Can I help you?” the neighbor asked.
“Well, you see,” Harriet said, “I’ve baked you a pie. I hope you like apple.”
“Thanks,” the woman said, taking the pie.
They stood staring awkwardly for a moment. Harriet assumed she’d be invited in, that they would have a cup of coffee or tea. Harriet thought this happened when you spent a day baking pies for your neighbors in a perfect neighborhood like theirs was.
“I live next door. Just there,” Harriet said, pointing.
“Okay,” the woman said, running her hand through her messy hair. Then nothing. A child yelled, “Mo-om, Katie pulled my hair again!”
The woman sighed. “Well, I’ve got to go. Thanks again!”
The door shut. Harriet stood staring at it. She hadn’t even learned the woman’s name.
Review
When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like Harriet. She was very stiff and regimented and had flexibility issues. She is also very “matter of fact.” However, as the story progressed and we learned more about her life, her actions started to make a lot more sense. This also gives us hope that people can change with time.
The interactions between Harriet and her neighbors can be considered humorous if you have ever belonged to an HOA or have heard stories about them. However, I loved watching the characters’ growth, particularly Harriet’s. My heart also broke for her new neighbors across the street. The situation that they endure might be hard to read for anyone who has dealt with abuse or is easily triggered.
As the story progressed, we watched Harriet adapt to new situations, perhaps a little better than before. While she attends a support group for her neighbor, what she observes starts to hit close to home. Was her life not as idyllic as she thought?
There are ups and downs in this story, and it has a happy ending despite the subject matter.
We give the book 4 paws up.
About the Author
Kim McCollum graduated from Barnard College with a major in Japanese and was soon navigating the hustle and bustle of Wall Street. When her first child was born, she stayed home to raise her children. Once they headed off to school, Kim finally found time to pursue her passion for writing. Her award-winning debut novel, WHAT HAPPENS IN MONTANA, was published in January 2024, and her short stories have appeared in several publications. She lived in Bozeman, Montana, with her supportive husband, Brian, and their blended menagerie of five kids and three spoiled pets.
