Let's Talk about Books with Lizza

Book talk time! I am reading Ann Tatlock’s Promises to Keep, and I can't say enough about the eloquence of her writing, the plot, and the flawless flow of the story. Paul Anderson, my "significant other," got it as a free download and raved about the beautiful writing; I trust his opinions as he is a published author. We both got free downloads of the book.

Tatlock might be marketing her books as Christian fiction, a genre I normally avoid, but this book doesn't fit the stereotype. In my mind, it is true Christian fiction, unlike the current genre, which seems to be a juxtaposition of 19th century sentimental romance and born-again fundamentalist undertones.  The emphasis here is on racial equality. Langston Hughes, whose work was receiving awards at the time, is mentioned in this book, and there are conversations laced throughout that show the author's strong belief in social justice. The religious references reflect my own Protestant upbringing.  It certainly evokes my old stomping grounds; the book is set in a fictitious town in DuPage County called Mills River, which I sense is based on Wheaton, Illinois, where my family lived from 1964-1970. In addition, author Ann Tatlock is a graduate of Wheaton College.  The story has salience for me because there are so many references to familiar places. 

Here's Amazon's summary of the book and a link to the page: Promises to Keep

Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation. Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch reading the newspaper. Though her sons have sold the house and sent her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way "home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's mother allows Tillie to move back in. 

Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have something in common that binds them together--both are hiding secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to die"--never to tell anyone else. 

When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the family she has adopted as her own.

And here are more of my comments:

The book is obviously set in the mid-1950s, as it mentions air raid drills. How I remember those from grade school! Roz and her family have moved to Illinois from Minnesota, a state I consider my "home" even though I've never lived there. My parents were born and raised in Minnesota and met at the U, and I have relatives still living in the area. The only thing in Promises to Keep so far that doesn't ring true is that sadly, ethnic prejudice is still rampant in Minnesota -- especially in the Twin Cities. A personal note: In the early 60s, African Americans were starting to move into Minneapolis near the 2800 block of Park Avenue, where my Grandma Arabelle Flygare lived. Grandma, who was born in 1897, had a bit of a time adjusting to the changes.  So it surprises me that eleven-year-old Roz is unfazed by Mara's being "colored." Perhaps, even then, little kids were innocent when it came to "differences."  

I love Tillie! With regard to faith, two of my favorite scenes in the book so far are (1) where 11-year old Roz asks Tillie how you know you're going to heaven, and she replies, "Well, now, that all depends on who your father is;" and (2) where Tillie teaches The Lord's Prayer to Roz's two-year-old sister Valerie, who hears the first line as "Our Father, it's hot in heaven."  I also feel a sense of kinship with Tillie as she uses the expression "Merciful heavens!" frequently. That phrase has floated around in my family for decades, usually uttered with a Swedish accent.

I'm at the part right now where Mara has disclosed to Roz the secret about her real father, and that Mara's first name is actually "Beatrice." Mara reveals to Roz that her older sister Celia is actually her mother, and that Roz is the offspring of an affair between Celia and William Remmick, a white man. Remmick is an English professor and a book-lover who has a late-night Chicago radio talk show. (I suspect the Remmick character is loosely based on Milt Rosenberg) Mara's family story is that that Celia is her sister--of course, her "parents" are actually her grandparents. Mara wants desperately to meet her real father, and her grandparents agree to take her to Chicago on the train to meet him. I'll leave the aftermath of that visit for anyone who decides to read the book.

I enjoy Roz's siblings: the older Wally and little Valerie. As the story advances, Wally, at age eighteen, decides to enlist in the Army. This doesn't go over too well for the family; at this point, we're into the Vietnam era. It is also heartening to see that Tillie's two older sons, Johnny and Paul, who put her in the nursing home, are ending to up to be decent guys. Tillie's third son, Lyle, is doing some type of missionary work in another country. He has yet to appear. (Note: Lyle is also a name from my family.)

Roz's mother, Janis, is dating a man named Tom Barrows. Roz and Mara can't stand him, and conjure up devious, hilarious means to stop the relationship.  Then - as I knew would happen, Roz's father resurfaces. Roz finds Sugar Daddy candy in her school desk--this creeps me out. He tries to entice Roz back in his good graces, and he's appearing more and more sinister to me. Tom Barrows is soon out of the picture, and not because of Roz and Mara's antics. "Daddy" has obviously made threats because he wants Janis and his family back.

So I think that Daddy Dearest is going to either threaten Roz or actually try to harm her. My guess is that Tillie will come to the rescue. I think Lyle will return to Mills River and Janis will marry him, making Tillie Roz's grandma, and that Tillie will live out her days in her beloved home.

I wish I had written it.

I want to meet the author, and I'm going to read her other books.  Knowing my mother would like Promises to Keep, I checked Amazon and it was back to $6.99. I called Mom and told her about it, and she sounded intrigued. I immediately bought it for her and had it sent to her Kindle.

Back to the concept of Christian fiction: Christy by Catherine Marshall was the book that inspired me to want to write a novel! So, from this former Presbyterian/current Episcopagan rebel, I have three remaining words about Promises to Keep: BUY THIS BOOK!