Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.
Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists! What a great way to spend a Friday.
Today’s feature is one of my new books: The Good Son, by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
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Book Beginning:
I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he had murdered.
Two independent clauses, ten words each, joined by an adverb, made up entirely of words that would once have been unimaginable to think, much less say.
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Friday 56:
I called Keith and left a contrite message: Yes, I would ask for a sabbatical. Could we make a lunch date? Suddenly I couldn’t wait to be away from my campus, my second home.
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Synopsis:
What do you do when the person you love best becomes unrecognizable to you? For Thea Demetriou, the answer is both simple and agonizing: you keep loving him somehow.
Stefan was just seventeen when he went to prison for the drug-fueled murder of his girlfriend, Belinda. Three years later, he’s released to a world that refuses to let him move on. Belinda’s mother, once Thea’s good friend, galvanizes the community to rally against him to protest in her daughter’s memory. The media paints Stefan as a symbol of white privilege and indifferent justice. Neighbors, employers, even some members of Thea’s own family turn away.
Meanwhile Thea struggles to understand her son. At times, he is still the sweet boy he has always been; at others, he is a young man tormented by guilt and almost broken by his time in prison. But as his efforts to make amends meet escalating resistance and threats, Thea suspects more forces are at play than just community outrage. And if there is so much she never knew about her own son, what other secrets has she yet to uncover—especially about the night Belinda died?
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Would you keep reading?
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That opening does such a great job of setting up the story, doesn’t it? And the description of the book has definitely caught my attention.
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Thanks, Mark, I am eager to read this one. I love the author and I’m drawn in by the blurb, too.
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The opener and the book description have definitely sent this book to my TBR list. This sounds like it would be a great read.
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Thanks, Cathy Marie, I am looking forward to it!
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I’ve been curious about this book–like you, I’m fond of this author and the plot description intrigues me.
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Thanks, Catherine, I am so eager to read this book!
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I imagine this will be a heart wrenching read. I read the author’s The Deep End of the Ocean years ago and really liked it but have not picked up anything else by her since. I hope you like this one when you get to it! I may have to read it too. Have a great weekend, Laurel-Rain.
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Thanks, Wendy, I also loved The Deep End of the Ocean. I read the book and watched the movie a few times.
Looking forward to this book!
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That opener really hooks you! I hope you enjoy this one. Have a great weekend! https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/01/first-line-friday-song-of-silence.html
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Thanks, Cindy, I hope so, too.
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The excerpts are really intriguing. Sounds so good.
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Thanks, Yvonne, I am hoping to love this book!
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That’s an intriguing opening. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Lauren, I am looking forward to it!
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I recognize the author’s name but I am not sure I can identify the title of her book that I enjoyed. This starts off well, I think. My Friday Quotes are here
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Thanks, Anne, a lot of people mention her book The Deep End of the Ocean.
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Wow, that opening is chilling. This sounds like it would be a very powerful read.
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I agree, Carole!
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What an opening sentence! This sounds like an intense read.
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Thanks, Katherine, it is!
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