What do you think?
Rate this book
Imaginary Numbers
He was on the phone to his mother, when he read the obituary in the newspaper - his mother's obituary. "Are you sure you're not dead?" didn't seem quite the best way to continue the conversation. But that was okay. Mom was inviting him to meet yet another candidate for best girlfriend, future daughter-in-law, so he'd just check them both out over dinner - Mom and the girl - and take it from there.
Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2021
About the author
Sheila Deeth
85 books191 followersSheila Deeth is an English American, Catholic Protestant, mathematician writer and editor, author of contemporary novels - Divide by Zero and Infinite Sum from Indigo Sea Press - the Five Minute Bible Story Series from Cape Arago Press, Tails of Mystery from Linkville Press, and several spiritual speculative novellas and short stories.
Sheila is a prolific reader and her book reviews are published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Goodreads, and Librarything, as well as on her blog at http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
Find out more at http://about.me/sheiladeeth
Sheila is a prolific reader and her book reviews are published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Goodreads, and Librarything, as well as on her blog at http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com
Find out more at http://about.me/sheiladeeth
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 12, 2025
This tale is told from four points of view: Jessica Elson, her son David, his girlfriend Carla, and a Mystery Person who stirs up trouble. The story could be described as a combination of several genres: magical realism, coming of age, mystery, horror, even romance.
David is confounded by a newspaper obit for his mother while knowing she is alive and well-- he'd just talked with her on the phone! The fake news stories accelerate and become more disturbing, even stating that the mother was murdered, and that David has a sister, even a wife and children.
It turns out that the fake news stories are vengeance for crimes of abuse and torture suffered over the victim's lifetime targeting people complicit in covering up and keeping these crimes a secret. Is it a family matter? Why is David so confused, with only sketchy memories of his childhood? And why was Jessica such a wimp and total handmaiden to her secretive, demanding, and suspicious husband even as she knew harm was being done to David? Why is Carla emotionally drawn in to the fake news?
The conclusion is a breathtaking surprise that seems like a fantasy. At the finale, David's complex emotions of anger, confusion, and feeling unworthy make sense and are relatable. Jessica stays in character too as she glosses over the past horrors and accepts the unacceptable.
Even as the reader wants to know what is happening, repetition and romantic asides slow down the suspense.
David is confounded by a newspaper obit for his mother while knowing she is alive and well-- he'd just talked with her on the phone! The fake news stories accelerate and become more disturbing, even stating that the mother was murdered, and that David has a sister, even a wife and children.
It turns out that the fake news stories are vengeance for crimes of abuse and torture suffered over the victim's lifetime targeting people complicit in covering up and keeping these crimes a secret. Is it a family matter? Why is David so confused, with only sketchy memories of his childhood? And why was Jessica such a wimp and total handmaiden to her secretive, demanding, and suspicious husband even as she knew harm was being done to David? Why is Carla emotionally drawn in to the fake news?
The conclusion is a breathtaking surprise that seems like a fantasy. At the finale, David's complex emotions of anger, confusion, and feeling unworthy make sense and are relatable. Jessica stays in character too as she glosses over the past horrors and accepts the unacceptable.
Even as the reader wants to know what is happening, repetition and romantic asides slow down the suspense.
Displaying 1 of 1 review