The Weight of Memory

by Jennifer Paddock

If ignorance is bliss, then memory can be tortuous, until it reaches the level of redemption for the characters in this deeply-faceted Southern novel. Destin, Florida, has a reputation as the vacation town of the ‘well-to-do’. For Leigh, searching for the sense of belonging, it is the place of dreams —somewhere she is called by memories of her friends from high school, Chandler and Sarah. Out of touch after the long years since graduation, the three women now face their challenges alone: Leigh, running from namelessness in her hometown and confronted by the specter of the father she never knew; Sarah, exiled from a marriage in disrepair and ever at odds with her distant, exacting father; and Chandler, betrayed by her husband but finding new fascination in a man named Walker, who suffers from recurring amnesia. All are haunted by the death of Trey, the boy they all loved in high school, and the suicide of Chandler’s father ten years earlier. When the three come together one unforgettable night in deserted Destin as Hurricane Katrina rocks the Gulf Coast, their reunion sets off a chain of events that will rip open new doors for each of them — to past tragedy, fresh love and a place to call home.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2012

About the author

Jennifer Paddock is the author of the novels A Secret Word, Point Clear, and The Weight of Memory. She received an M.A. in creative writing from New York University, and her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Stories from the Blue Moon Café, The North American Review, Other Voices, Garden and Gun, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, and The New York Times. She is also a tennis pro at The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama.

Praise:

“A riveting novel about memory, the meaning of home, and what we are willing to leave behind.”
Michelle Richmond, author of The Year of Fog

“Jennifer Paddock seduces the reader with the narrative equivalent of a raised eyebrow or the almost imperceptible nod of the head. At the end the reader is inclined to ask the
writer as well as her characters—what’s next?”
Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City

“Poignant and true, Paddock’s language evokes the
elegiac way lives play themselves out.”
William Gay, author of Twilight

“In remarkably elegant and evocative prose, Jennifer Paddockreveals that it’s not only the big moments that can change a life, but the deceptively quiet ones, like the eye of the hurricane her
heroine passes through.”
Leah Stewart, author of The Myth of You and Me

“Paddock writes like Raymond Carver with a bigger heart—simple, graceful but tough, always with an eye on the
possibility of redemption.”
Michael Knight, author of Goodnight, Nobody

“There is something about Paddock’s writing that defies conventional description. The closest word I can summon is ‘magic’.”
Melinda Haynes, author of Mother of Pearl

"Point Clear is a subtle novel about an introspective young woman's search for selfhood . . . elegiac prose . . . . A warm tale.” –-Publishers Weekly

"A Secret Word is striking . . . a subtle, surprising first novel, with unforgettable characters, a quiet sense of place and a nuanced exploration of the secrets, loves, despairs, friends and relatives that shape our lives.”—Publishers Weekly

"A Secret Word is an uncommonly assured debut . . . Paddock's narrative is deceptively simple. Her characters neither implausibly obsess over minutiae nor have conveniently placed dramatic episodes; instead, their creator relies on a smoothly authoritative voice to simply carry us through. An unusually generous spirit animates these pages, knowledgeable about shared pain, the call of the big city, disappointments, and secret keeping . . . . the lucky discovery of three secret diaries."-- Kirkus Reviews

"Filled with many moving and sometimes devastating moments and observations, Paddock’s first novel is three coming-of-age stories for the price of one." — Booklist

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads.com. I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The theme, memory, that starts in the book title weaves throughout the lives of the characters. Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down. I will definitely be checking out Jennifer Paddock's other books.

[Zoe Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book made me feel as though I had spent the weekend with my closest childhood friends. The perfect follow up to Paddock's first novel, A Secret Word.

[Linda Bouley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a story from the shifting perspective of three southern women in their 30s who have been friends since high school. They are each in crisis or transition and have gravitated back to each other serendipitously at this time in their lives. Sarah is the daughter of a famous heart surgeon who has married multiple times giving her several half & step siblings.. Her father is inattentive and she is separated from her husband, Ryan, who seems to be having an early mid-life crises. Leigh is the daughter of a hard-bitten mother and unknown father. She is a divorced waitress who seems to be pretty rootless and unsatisfied. Chandler is a lawyer, who is working in a bookstore, is married to an unsuccessful writer who is working as a car salesman and seems to be fooling around. Since her father committed suicide a few years back, she has not been able to find her way and still wonders "why". The narrator changes from chapter to chapter, but it flows well. They are in self examination and also see themselves through their past and in the lives of each other. The book leads us through their journey back to focus. I liked the book - just a good simple read with lessons to learn in the process.

[Kelly Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different that I expected. I liked how each chapter focused on a different character and how they were all connected in some way. I am not sure that I thought the memory component really came into play a lot. It was evident in one character and then awkwardly placed in some other characters stories.

I also expected more about Trey and his death because it was so often mentioned. It left me wanting a little more.

Overall, I did like the book when I separated it from the title. I breezed through it and found myself wanting to read it.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good fast read-- interesting characters. I won this book from GoodReads First Reads.

[Ann Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and seamless follow up to Jennifer's first 2 novels. You feel like there was no time between. Great development of characters!