Talking to the Dead

Stunned, stunning, stuntabulous! Okay. The last was absolutely not a word, but Talking to the Dead a novel by Bonnie Grove is simply the kind of book that takes you places you never have been to before. Following Kate as she suffers the grief of her husband Kevin's death at such a young age is mesmerizing. Certainly, Kate's first response of quiet withdrawal makes perfect sense. How do you move on when the love of your life has died? But also how do you move on when there are pieces of your life that are also missing? Lastly, what do you do when you hear the voice of your dead husband clearly speaking to you? The ride is amazing. I seriously did not know what direction Kate's story was going to take. Every detail and chapter led me closer to the conclusion, but I certainly was not sure of what that conclusion was. I LOVED THAT! I cannot tell you how often I have read a book and have completely figured out the ending. This doesn't always take away from a story, but it is sure nice to really be taken along for an adventurous ride. A ride that was sad, happy, frightening, thought provoking, and fully moving. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed with fresh characters from an author whose work I will now highly anticipate.

Grieving widow Kate Davis can't get her husband's voice out of her head. As she camps out on the living room floor and avoids going upstairs even if it means not showering for weeks, she begins to question her sanity. When Kevin's voice goes from comfortingly familiar to cruel, Kate determines to find out why he keeps showing up. Kate's quest takes her from phsychiatrists, to group therapy, to a frightening attempted exorcism, and almost to the brink. A kind pastor with a passion for inner city youth offers a break from the mental chaos. But can Kate's mind handle the truth behind Kevin's unrelenting then suddenly absent voice? Bonnie Groves does a beautiful job of weaving humor into Kate's journey through grief, difficult truths, and struggling to accept God's love. While the book delves into tough topics, the "I know someone just like that" characters and Kate's often hilareous observations keep the tone from getting too heavy. This could have easily been a depression story. Instead I had a hard time letting go of it for the night. In the end I wished I knew Kate so I could check in on how she was doing.

Talking to the Dead is one of the best books I've ever read. It deals with hard issues in a way that doesn't glaze over things that most CBA books shy away from. For the first time in a long, long time, I cared about a character enough to cry when she cried and rejoice when she overcame her problems. The writing makes you do that. There's absolutely nothing preachy in the book, yet it points the way to God 100% of the time. I absolutely recommend everyone should read this book! I'll be following Bonnie Grove from now on!

Kate Davis is having a really bad day. And just when she thinks it can't get any worse, her husband Kevin assures her everything is fine. The problem is, Kevin's dead. Talking to the Dead is a provocative, fast-paced, page-turning debut nobvel that will make you an instant fan of this author. It pulls you in from the first line and holds you spellbound till the final page. This is a great selection for book clubs, as there are several subjects just right for discussion.

Talking to the Dead is a page turner in the truest sense of the word. You'll forget to eat while you are reading this story! No joke! I read this book in two sittings. It was absolutely amazing. Talking to the Dead is making my best of 2009 fiction list for sure. The writing was so well done I'd never guess it was a debut novel. I loved how the author didn't hold back on any of the issues that the character Kate was dealing with. Plus, the ending made me smile and emit a satisfied sigh. I've read some other books dealing with pain and grief and none of them come close to being as good as this one. It almost reads like a suspense in that you find out a little bit more and a little bit more as the story moves along. More than once I found myself saying, "No way!" Yet it was totally believable. The way her mind dealt with the trauma, like when she watched that short video clip over and over was SO well done. I felt like I was Kate and I hurt right along with her. At the same time I rejoiced with her when things started turning around. The dialog was also done amazing as well. The honesty of the spiritual journey and the character's inner voice was fabulous. And for people who don't know much about mental health issues, I loved how accurate and true-to-life the story was. Clearly the author did her research in many areas. I can't say enough great things about this debut novel. If you don't buy any other books this year, get this one!