"Grief makes its own indelible mark on a person's soul, and only those who toiled through its muck could understand the exhaustion that came with it. Of the final never seeming final."
- Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright
Jaime Jo Wright novels are perfect when I need some fright in my life. I'm a wimp with scary books and can't enjoy one unless I know it won't go too far.
I love her books for many reasons:
- dual timeline with strongly connected plots
- Edgar Allan Poe + Scooby Doo - plenty of eerie mysterious (even murderful) tension but everything is explained without supernatural or fantastical elements
- plots include mystery plus exploration of important topics such as domestic violence, post-partum depression, etc.
- ultimately hopeful with faith elements organically woven into the story
Echoes Among the Stones is set in a small Wisconsin town. In present day, Aggie is visiting her grandmother after her real estate career is ruined. She takes the only job she's qualified for - helping the local cemetery update its burial records. In 1946, the residents of Imogene's home town are trying to resume life after World War II when her sister Hazel is murdered at home. Deeply troubled by the crime and frustrated by the police department's response, Imogene undertakes her own investigation.
In both timelines, mysterious things happen - who's behind them? are they connected to Hazel's death? will someone die before the mysteries are solved?
This story is a deep exploration of grief and its short-term and generational impacts. Other topics include imminent domain and forensic science. I appreciated the main and secondary characters who felt very 'real' to me, and I was intrigued to learn the connection between the two storylines.
I strive to be a Jaime Jo Wright completist and reading Echoes Among the Stones brings me one book closer to reaching that goal.
