Reviews of Laurene's Book Walking In The Shadows & The Heir

Walking in the Shadows & The Heir received Recommended by The US Review of Books

What is a Recommended rating?

“Sometimes reviewers apply a Recommended rating to outstanding books. While many reviews are positive and worthy the Recommended rating is used less than 10-20% of the time. This is a very high quality book regardless of whether it is self-published or from the major press (we review both.) Recommended non-fiction books are well organised, reveal deep insight and knowledge and fulfill its intended mission with merit. Recommended fiction books are compelling and lasting reads”

Reviewed by Joe Kilgore

“Now, in the winter of my life, I sit in my rocking chair on the porch, waiting for the sun to set on my life”

Two short stories are found between the covers of this thin volume. The first is a diaphanous tale that wafts lightly between dream and reality. As you read it, you’re never exactly sure which of the two realms you’re occupying.

It focuses on a man who has suffered a great tragedy. In his sorrow he has turned to drink to blunt his pain. He is lured from his unending grief by the promise of a new beginning. But are his savior and new surroundings fate or phantom? Is he really being given a chance at renewal or is he being pulled into something that may well be his complete undoing?

With language as descriptive as it is deceiving, this is a story that keeps you both interested and intrigued. It makes you want to know more and compels you to follow its mysterious path to journey’s end.

The second story is epic. It compresses the lifetime of a family into remembrances that haunt with universal insight. Set in years past when an individual’s future was often dictated by the circumstances of one’s birth, it examines the perspective of different family members to the life they live together, yet the thoughts they keep alone. This is a tale of times and traditions past. Yet it leaves lasting lessons for the present. Using admirable restraint, the author, Laurene, shows herself to be both a keen observer of the ties that bind, and a masterful chronicler of them.

Yes, this, her first book of short stories, is a thin volume. But it is enormously thick with atmosphere, emotion, and eloquent writing. We should all hope there is more to come.

PACIFIC BOOK REVIEW

Reviewed by Liz Konkel

“Walking in the Shadows: and The Heir” by Laurene is a collection of two beautifully written short stories. “Walking in the Shadows” follows Sandy as he sees a lovely lady, Sarah Jane which leads to a meeting with Jose. Sandy’s parents, wife, and children were all killed some years before, driving him to drink and lose his zest for life. There are brief hints at what the ending will reveal, but the focus is largely put on Sandy’s grief and his attempt to move forward. This is a story of reinvention with an ending that’s best left to be a surprise. It was something I didn’t see coming until the second it happens, but looking back I can see the foreshadowing which Laurene cleverly planted. The ending was suspenseful and begged the question 'what’s next'.

“The Heir” wasn’t what I expected based on the title. It was divided into five perspectives each playing a part in telling the story. It starts at what the reader believes is a love story, but the actual love of the story isn’t what is at the beginning. A man about to take his vows to become a priest becomes infatuated with a nurse who agrees to marry him. This goes against everything his parents had planned for him. They had planned his future of priesthood long before he was born and shunned their wedding day. Unfortunately he ends up following a similar path to his parents. The end of the story was heartbreaking as the final perspective is revealed. I didn’t quite expect the story to go quite the way it did, but by the second daughter’s part, I knew there wasn’t any other way this could go. The heir is the son that he wants in order to carry on his lineage. Looking back I should have seen it before the story began. The poem before “The Heir” foretold the story that was about to unfold, but I put it in the back of my mind. When I read I mostly like happy endings, but I can appreciate sad ones.

For those who enjoy sad endings with beautiful imagery that push the boundaries of literary, I’d recommend “The Heir”. For those who enjoy a bit more suspense, I’d recommend “Walking in the Shadows”. However, both stories complement each other. They work as a balance, providing the reader with two different experiences. “Walking in the Shadows” has suspense while “The Heir” has a fluid story-telling revolving around a tragedy. Both stories are realistic, but “The Heir” touches upon magical realism. The mother communes with a memory brought on from grief, but others may view it as a ghost. “Walking in the Shadows: and The Heir” are filled with emotion, but these aren’t stories that leave you feeling sad. Where neither of these have happy endings, both are certainly worth reading.