Gripping, suspenseful, magical, and richly atmospheric . . . Ilie Ruby’s haunting debut novel, The Language of Trees, is exhilarating fiction that announces the arrival of a truly extraordinary storyteller.

Echo O’Connell knows that the summer holds its secrets. They are whispered in the rustling trees, in the lush scent of the lilacs, in the flurry of the mayflies batting against the screen door, and in the restless spirits that seem to clamor in the scant breezes on hot evenings. It is in summer that she returns home to Canandaigua, to confront these spirits, both living and not, and to share a secret with her first love, Grant Shongo—a secret that will forever change the lives of many people in the town and put to rest the mysterious disappearance of a little boy more than a decade earlier.

Grant, a descendant of the Seneca Indians who call this place “The Chosen Spot,” has also come back to face his past. After a broken marriage, he has moved into his childhood home, a lake house that has withstood happiness and tragedy. He knows the spirits of the past must be dealt with—that of the little boy who disappeared all those years ago; the boy’s sister, who never overcame the loss; and the love Grant still has for Echo. But before the healing must come the forgiveness. . . .

My Review: I enjoyed this book and it is a great summer/beach read. The characters are diverse and somewhat tragic.  Small towns hold lots of secrets and this small town, Canandaigua Lake, is no exception.  As the book progresses many of those secrets are revealed, sometimes surprisingly so.  Two of the biggest secrets involve one family.  Most of the book builds up to these revelations.  If you enjoy mysteries, small town life and imperfect people working through problems sometimes alone and sometimes together, you will enjoy this book!

This book will be on sale July 20, 2010.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 3:47 pm

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