Intercessions: A Novel

by Kathleen Eull

Some secrets are too dangerous to tell and too dark to keep...

When young Corianne Dempsey and her best friend, Rebecca, are approached by a stranger on their way to school, only one girl makes it home. When Rebecca turns up dead, Corianne's childhood ends abruptly.

Growing up in the long shadow of this event, Corianne is now a conflicted young woman seeking solace in dangerous places. Her hauntingly-dark dreams begin crossing into waking life, hinting that the past she remembers may be a lie.

Driven to make sense of what is happening, she returns to the only place she feels solid, the farm that provided an escape all those years ago, and the one person who has never judged or blamed her—the husband of her mother's best friend.

With his help she begins to let in the darkness she has tried so hard to shut away and learns that truth and healing are even more complicated than she imagined.

Genres: Fiction

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2023

Reviews

[Alyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I thought it was going to be...Didn't quite understand how she found Rebecca's body but watched Rebecca being pulled in the car with the guy! Maybe I missed something there. It could of been such a better ending.

[Pedro Bedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't understand this book really. Did she see her friend killed or abducted and how come she was lusting after a bloke who was really an uncle to her ? It just seems to drag on for the sake of it at some points and did Mr. Emory shoot the murderer or did she imagine that as well ?A bit of clarity would have helped in places.

[Dan A. Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Language

Another attempt at writing using the names of deity as profane utterances, as well as dropping f-bombs as if it was candy. There’s better offerings elsewhere.

[Pamela Frank · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a good read

Full of inconsistencies, unbelievable, not what I call entertainment just a lot of meaningless words, waste of my time reading it.

[Sharon Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!

Loved this book! The depth of the characters was amazing and draws you in from start to finish. Its easy to understand all the emotions of these well developed characters. Unusual but thought provoking plot. I would highly recommend this book and author.

[Anna Guanci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like lately I finish books and say “hm what just happened”. This was one of those. It was part thriller part exploration of trauma but also had some randomly very spicy scenes where I was like “hm oh hey now”. I feel as confused as the main character did.

[Adelle Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bold, suspenseful thriller written in the atmospheric style of a poet longing for home. An edgy tale that connects the dots of past, present and future; home, escape, and homecoming. Unflinching, brave and empowering, it is the story of a young woman whose idyllic life of rural explorations is interrupted by a problem too big for her years. Her foe seems undefeatable until she is able to harness the forces of nature which have lied dormant within her for years, and face the memories which kept her in stasis. Highly recommend for any fans of thrillers, Southern gothic (in this case Midwestern gothic), or female led stories.

[Brin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this book was quite interesting. It could be slow at times but I personally believe that the book was interesting and wasn't very predictable. I would recommend reading this book. Unfortunately, I don't have time to write a full review.

[Susan Hedrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Sorry.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about an abduction that takes place in a small town. Two girls, Corianne and Rebecca are on their way to school when a stranger in a car stops them. Corianne is afraid to approach the car, but Rebecca approaches the car and is pulled in through the window. Corianne cannot remember much about the abduction and grows up fearing that the abductor is watching her, this influences her life and relationships. She has seen a therapist throughout the years and finally is told that she is blocking things about the event and the therapist can no longer help her. This story is about the way the mind tries to protect the individual from bad memories and the hope of recovery.

[Macjest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to have given this a higher rating than 3. Cori’s best friend is abducted and murdered when they were little girls. Coris repressed memories bother her for years. The description of the landscape is gorgeous. The telling of Cori’s issues are quite haunting. What bothered me was how easily Cori is attracted to men and has sex. I get that her trauma has messed her up, but those inappropriate scenes dragged the book down.

[C. Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seldom have I read a book as quickly. I had reached about 40%, and only my stubborn nature kept me going. So many inconsistencies, unnatural situations, and use of blasphemy for expletives (when the English language has more than sufficient without recourse to that profane language).
I skimmed through the remaining 60% as quickly as possible just to find out how the story ended. Not impressed. I shan't be reading any more from this author.

[Julie A. Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible writing

I absolutely loved this book and the paths the author made you take to find the truth. I have already ordered a hard copy to give my best friend. The characters were so real that you cared about their thoughts, their feelings. I look forward to reading more work from the mind of this author.

[Cynthia A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cori has nightmares

When Cori and Rebecca were walking a car approaches. The driver grabs Rebecca but Cori runs to get help. Three days later Rebecca is found dead.
Years later Cori is still having nightmares and getting worse. Are they just nightmares or the past trying to surface?

[Joyceanne Edell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

It was difficult to read this story because it comes close to something that happened to me in my own childhood, but it was well written and I was really pulling for the heroine of the story.

[Riley Smotherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got to the end and thought hmmmppfff.
Was slow at first, picked up about half way through and then I flew through it dying to keep reading and find out more about WHAT HAPPENED. Could have had a much better ending I felt. Not sure what that entails, but it was very anticlimactic. Felt like I was missing something. Also some parts were rather confusing and never resolved?

[Rebecca Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intercessions is incredible.

This is a bombshell of a novel!! Memory can burn if you let it. Highly recommended. A feast for the senses.

[Kenneth Painter and amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! A deep emotional wow.

I picked this book up on a whim, and am so glad I did. I cried lots but It certainly was worth my years

[Sue Morganegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful

The imagery was so vivid, you can see, hear , and smell everything as described. You will lose yourself in this book.

[Luke Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read, but…

The story was captivating. The end was incomplete. My reaction was, “no, that can’t be the end,”. Your reaction may be different.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-3.7 stars. Excellent writing. Great character development. It just didn’t contain enough plot progression or pacing for me to give it a full 4 stars for my taste.