Molly’s family lives in a coal-mining neighborhood near an underground coal fire that is slowly destroying the town. Her father is a drunk, beleaguered by family secrets that Molly is determined to uncover after she discovers an old diary hidden in her bedroom wall. As the mystery is slowly unraveled, the underground menace creeps ever closer, threatening their home and their lives from without as the secrets and lies threaten to destroy them from within.Ms Hester has told a poignant heartrending tale. The book is very well written, using beautiful poetic descriptions. Although the story is often sad and depressing, it accurately depicts a previous era and the hardscrabble existence common to coal miners’ families during that time, when profit was king and workers were expendable. Rich with flawed characters, I sometimes had trouble keeping them all straight, but you eventually realize this is common in these small isolated communities, where everyone is related by blood or tied to each other by their shared circumstances. A fabulous book, deserving far more than the five stars I’m allowed to give. Molly finds her grandfather's diary with references to untimely deaths in her family's past along with some odd notations. She sets out on a covert quest to uncover the family history - keeping a secret notebook of her own to record her discoveries. I could so relate to her eavesdropping and questioning! I also connected with her dysfunctional family. It all seemed so real to me. Family members that are never discussed, those who have ended contact with the family, stories that are not told because they are too painful for some to remember, the fighting over who got the house, etc. I think most people can relate to these events. The story is at times amusing as well. My favorite line was when Molly was eavesdropping on her dad and her aunt discussing their childhood - "Now Aunt Maura was not only a sinner, she was a kidnapper too. Aunt Maura was becoming very interesting." There's another part later in the book when there is an issue with her older sister. Molly makes assumptions about what happened because nobody will tell her. Her thinking made me laugh out loud. When her father finds out she is researching the family, he tells her she may not like what she finds - how right he is!
What do You think about Whispers From The Ashes (2010)?
This is a good book. Stories within stories and lots of family connections.
—wdds
