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Dear Hearts
*PLEASE NOTE: This version of Dear Hearts is no longer available. The revised version will be available in 2016.
From the outside, Mitch and Elena Reynolds are a typical White Smoke family: married, raising a daughter, running a local business, attending church on Sundays. But their happy family image starts to crack when Mitch has an affair with local White Smoke resident, Aaron Hooper.
Mitch and Elena’s tumultuous relationship is further tested with failed attempts to get pregnant again, forced AA meetings to curb their alcoholism and bitter therapy appointments to try and “fix” their daughter, Wren. It’s not until both Mitch and Elena trust in their love for their daughter that they begin to rekindle the connection they first formed as kids. But is it too late?
From the author of Unkept, Dear Hearts is an exquisitely told tale of love, loss and human connection in the wake of darkness.
From the outside, Mitch and Elena Reynolds are a typical White Smoke family: married, raising a daughter, running a local business, attending church on Sundays. But their happy family image starts to crack when Mitch has an affair with local White Smoke resident, Aaron Hooper.
Mitch and Elena’s tumultuous relationship is further tested with failed attempts to get pregnant again, forced AA meetings to curb their alcoholism and bitter therapy appointments to try and “fix” their daughter, Wren. It’s not until both Mitch and Elena trust in their love for their daughter that they begin to rekindle the connection they first formed as kids. But is it too late?
From the author of Unkept, Dear Hearts is an exquisitely told tale of love, loss and human connection in the wake of darkness.
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Ericka Clay
25 books86 followersEricka Clay is a traditionally published novelist and poet formerly represented by Robyn Russell.
She graduated from the University of Arkansas Creative Writing department and is the author of several books including her latest novel, A Bird Alone.
Ericka has been awarded several times by Writer's Digest for various short fiction pieces. She has written four novels (one of which placed as a quarter-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest) and has had her work featured in literary journals like Ruminate and Rock and Sling.
Ericka lives in Arkansas with her husband, daughter, two rats (yes, you read that correctly) and an insatiable need to push buttons, both figuratively and literally.
Learn more at https://erickaclay.com.
She graduated from the University of Arkansas Creative Writing department and is the author of several books including her latest novel, A Bird Alone.
Ericka has been awarded several times by Writer's Digest for various short fiction pieces. She has written four novels (one of which placed as a quarter-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest) and has had her work featured in literary journals like Ruminate and Rock and Sling.
Ericka lives in Arkansas with her husband, daughter, two rats (yes, you read that correctly) and an insatiable need to push buttons, both figuratively and literally.
Learn more at https://erickaclay.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 7, 2015
Originally posted on my blog inkorkeys.com
Dear HeartsEricka Clay
I was asked by author, Ericka Clay, to review her novella, Dear Hearts, and I must say that I am really excited to have the s-a-i-dopportunity to review a compelling piece of writing, probably because I’ve never been asked by an author to review their work before! It’s been a whole new experience and one I want to experience again.
Dear Hearts by Ericka Clay: From the outside, Mitch and Elena Reynolds are a typical White Smoke family: married, raising a daughter, running a local business, attending church on Sundays. But their happy family image starts to crack when Mitch has an affair with local White Smoke resident, Aaron Hooper.
Mitch and Elena’s tumultuous relationship is further tested with failed attempts to get pregnant again, forced AA meetings to curb their alcoholism and bitter therapy appointments to try and “fix” their daughter, Wren. It’s not until both Mitch and Elena trust in their love for their daughter that they begin to rekindle the connection they first formed as kids. But is it too late?
From the author of Unkept, Dear Hearts is an exquisitely told tale of love, loss and human connection in the wake of darkness.
Alcoholic childhood sweethearts, bone marrow deep love, a cheating man struggling with his sexuality and a child still attempting to get a handle on her bladder and her parents, put that all together and you get the surface level premise of Clay’s novella. Underneath that however is layer upon layer of conflict, emotion, compulsion and heavy neuroticism. All these layers come together to create a complex and dynamic story of a married couple handling life as best they know how, and most of the time their best, especially when it comes to their daughter, just doesn’t cut it.
I have very mixed emotions about this novella. Part of me loved the raw, dirty grittiness of the characters and their approach to situations, such as Elena convincing Mitch to attend AA through sex or Elena’s compulsion of scrubbing her hands raw. It’s very real and confronting.
However another part of me just can’t seem to truly believe Mitch as a character. A gay man, who refuses to accept his sexuality and hide within a loving marriage, who try for another baby, because that will make everything better. That I can believe and at first I thought this was all there was to Mitch, however Mitch appears to have come to terms with himself, as we can see through his relationship with a man that seems to flip a switch inside of him and pull out who he really is, but he chooses to crush that part of himself. This is qualified by the fact that Elena and Mitch do have a deep physical connection, but can a gay man really love a women in that way? I wasn’t convinced.
Dear Hearts is punctuated with a slew of extremely lovely imagery and just beautiful sentences that pop out of the short chapters, this gem for example; “counting her mistakes like dirty coins”. Stunning.
While I do think there is a lot of unnecessary detail that appears to be more of a space filler than anything else it doesn’t slow the pace of the book or create drags in the writing. The evolution of the novella is extremely well done in this sense. There is always a development, something pushing the story forward, a new neurosis to be discovered among the dysfunctional couple.
Dear Hearts is not for those wanting a light read; it’s for those of us who want to delve into a not so perfect psyche.
Clay has done an incredible job of documenting a facet of marriage and life that is not often explored in the mainstream. It isn’t pretty or pleasant or nice but it’s real and I commend Clay for attempting to put forth an image and life that isn’t always very easy to do.
I do recommend this novella.
Dear HeartsEricka Clay
I was asked by author, Ericka Clay, to review her novella, Dear Hearts, and I must say that I am really excited to have the s-a-i-dopportunity to review a compelling piece of writing, probably because I’ve never been asked by an author to review their work before! It’s been a whole new experience and one I want to experience again.
Dear Hearts by Ericka Clay: From the outside, Mitch and Elena Reynolds are a typical White Smoke family: married, raising a daughter, running a local business, attending church on Sundays. But their happy family image starts to crack when Mitch has an affair with local White Smoke resident, Aaron Hooper.
Mitch and Elena’s tumultuous relationship is further tested with failed attempts to get pregnant again, forced AA meetings to curb their alcoholism and bitter therapy appointments to try and “fix” their daughter, Wren. It’s not until both Mitch and Elena trust in their love for their daughter that they begin to rekindle the connection they first formed as kids. But is it too late?
From the author of Unkept, Dear Hearts is an exquisitely told tale of love, loss and human connection in the wake of darkness.
Alcoholic childhood sweethearts, bone marrow deep love, a cheating man struggling with his sexuality and a child still attempting to get a handle on her bladder and her parents, put that all together and you get the surface level premise of Clay’s novella. Underneath that however is layer upon layer of conflict, emotion, compulsion and heavy neuroticism. All these layers come together to create a complex and dynamic story of a married couple handling life as best they know how, and most of the time their best, especially when it comes to their daughter, just doesn’t cut it.
I have very mixed emotions about this novella. Part of me loved the raw, dirty grittiness of the characters and their approach to situations, such as Elena convincing Mitch to attend AA through sex or Elena’s compulsion of scrubbing her hands raw. It’s very real and confronting.
However another part of me just can’t seem to truly believe Mitch as a character. A gay man, who refuses to accept his sexuality and hide within a loving marriage, who try for another baby, because that will make everything better. That I can believe and at first I thought this was all there was to Mitch, however Mitch appears to have come to terms with himself, as we can see through his relationship with a man that seems to flip a switch inside of him and pull out who he really is, but he chooses to crush that part of himself. This is qualified by the fact that Elena and Mitch do have a deep physical connection, but can a gay man really love a women in that way? I wasn’t convinced.
Dear Hearts is punctuated with a slew of extremely lovely imagery and just beautiful sentences that pop out of the short chapters, this gem for example; “counting her mistakes like dirty coins”. Stunning.
While I do think there is a lot of unnecessary detail that appears to be more of a space filler than anything else it doesn’t slow the pace of the book or create drags in the writing. The evolution of the novella is extremely well done in this sense. There is always a development, something pushing the story forward, a new neurosis to be discovered among the dysfunctional couple.
Dear Hearts is not for those wanting a light read; it’s for those of us who want to delve into a not so perfect psyche.
Clay has done an incredible job of documenting a facet of marriage and life that is not often explored in the mainstream. It isn’t pretty or pleasant or nice but it’s real and I commend Clay for attempting to put forth an image and life that isn’t always very easy to do.
I do recommend this novella.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2015
Books are amazing. They are an avenue for adventure, imagination, though, learning something new, and discovering something within yourself. I was presented the opportunity to read and review a book by up and coming author, Ericka Clay. To be honest, it wasn't a book that I'd probably choose immediately on my own, but this is the great thing about books. If we step outside of our regular list of genres and try something different, you may discover a wonderful book you never would have known existed.
Dear Hearts has a familiar backdrop of a family that seems okay on the outside, but is unstable and in pain on the inside. Mitch and Elena are a married couple with a little girl, Wren. On the surface, they look like the typical American family. Dad has his own business, and mom stays at home with the child. But their relationship is much more complex, and life in general has become challenging. Daughter Wren is seven and still cannot control her bladder, which adds tension and stress (and is probably psychologically linked to her parent's relational issues). Both do not know how to cope with their relationship problems, so they drink, which usually leads to fights, and Mitch has become attracted to a man.
As you move through the book, you get the perspectives of both Mitch and Elena and see the hurt that both have placed on themselves and each other. Without giving too much away, you start to see that the secret worlds that each of these two cling to are a means to escape, a way to feel good, or at least better, without addressing their real problems. They both start to realize this toward the end, but the book leaves you open, without a real conclusion. Does this mean a book two? Or are you free to make your own conclusions?
Being a novella, it was a quick read. Sometimes it felt too quickly paced. The book throws you into the anger and pain right away, almost feeling like you skipped a chapter leading up to what was happening. I felt like I had to play catch up, but once I caught on, the book read smoothly and kept me reading. There were definite dark undertones to the book and it was littered with some great wit as well as the original and well placed analogies. Multiple times, I found myself smiling and chuckling when Elena compared her friend's daughter to her sister-in-law: "...and I pray she isn't cursed like Mitch's sister, Tammy, who looks like a stillborn kitten."
With these dark quips thrown in throughout the book, it definitely gave off a J.D Salinger, Catcher in the Rye vibe, with a dry and dark humor paired with a tough subject of complex relationships and what we go through for others. Overall, it was a very well written book and I look forward to picking up another Ericka Clay book. Hopefully we'll find out if she plans on following up with this family with a second novella.
Dear Hearts has a familiar backdrop of a family that seems okay on the outside, but is unstable and in pain on the inside. Mitch and Elena are a married couple with a little girl, Wren. On the surface, they look like the typical American family. Dad has his own business, and mom stays at home with the child. But their relationship is much more complex, and life in general has become challenging. Daughter Wren is seven and still cannot control her bladder, which adds tension and stress (and is probably psychologically linked to her parent's relational issues). Both do not know how to cope with their relationship problems, so they drink, which usually leads to fights, and Mitch has become attracted to a man.
As you move through the book, you get the perspectives of both Mitch and Elena and see the hurt that both have placed on themselves and each other. Without giving too much away, you start to see that the secret worlds that each of these two cling to are a means to escape, a way to feel good, or at least better, without addressing their real problems. They both start to realize this toward the end, but the book leaves you open, without a real conclusion. Does this mean a book two? Or are you free to make your own conclusions?
Being a novella, it was a quick read. Sometimes it felt too quickly paced. The book throws you into the anger and pain right away, almost feeling like you skipped a chapter leading up to what was happening. I felt like I had to play catch up, but once I caught on, the book read smoothly and kept me reading. There were definite dark undertones to the book and it was littered with some great wit as well as the original and well placed analogies. Multiple times, I found myself smiling and chuckling when Elena compared her friend's daughter to her sister-in-law: "...and I pray she isn't cursed like Mitch's sister, Tammy, who looks like a stillborn kitten."
With these dark quips thrown in throughout the book, it definitely gave off a J.D Salinger, Catcher in the Rye vibe, with a dry and dark humor paired with a tough subject of complex relationships and what we go through for others. Overall, it was a very well written book and I look forward to picking up another Ericka Clay book. Hopefully we'll find out if she plans on following up with this family with a second novella.
November 24, 2015
I loved the sound of this book, expecting a strong romantic story.
Not having read Ericka’s previous book, ‘Unkempt’ I was unprepared for the raw, unrelenting emotions that leapt at me from the pages.
This is the story of a young married couple and their young daughter. At first glance, an average family, but you don’t have to look far to see the signs of trouble.
Watching Mitch trying so hard to be a typical family man and failing miserably is so painful. You are desperate to know what his problem is, but you don’t discover his totally unexpected secret until chapter four.
His wife, Elena, is clearly struggling. First, with the frustration of wanting another child but failing to conceive. Her daughter adds to her worries and on top of everything, she knows something is wrong with her marriage. Nothing she can put her finger on but she suspects Mitch is seeing another woman, and this is slowly eating away at her nerves.
The characters in this book are very real, their emotions raw and bloody. The prose is unlike anything I have ever read before and I found it a refreshing change. Life is just like this but you rarely see it painted quite so eloquently. I especially liked the way the main characters have their own first person oriented chapters, putting you right there in their lives. You feel the pain of their struggling relationship as if it were happening to you.
When Elena finally learns Mitch’s secret, it is far worse than anything she could have imagined and it tears her fragile world apart. This story is raw, brutal and uncompromising, and the shocking surprise ending will take your breath away.
I loved the part where Elena tells her friend she might kill him, and the friend asks ‘which one?’
This book is for anyone who has ever been unfaithful, to feel the excruciating pain of betrayal. One of the saddest stories I have read in a while.
Not having read Ericka’s previous book, ‘Unkempt’ I was unprepared for the raw, unrelenting emotions that leapt at me from the pages.
This is the story of a young married couple and their young daughter. At first glance, an average family, but you don’t have to look far to see the signs of trouble.
Watching Mitch trying so hard to be a typical family man and failing miserably is so painful. You are desperate to know what his problem is, but you don’t discover his totally unexpected secret until chapter four.
His wife, Elena, is clearly struggling. First, with the frustration of wanting another child but failing to conceive. Her daughter adds to her worries and on top of everything, she knows something is wrong with her marriage. Nothing she can put her finger on but she suspects Mitch is seeing another woman, and this is slowly eating away at her nerves.
The characters in this book are very real, their emotions raw and bloody. The prose is unlike anything I have ever read before and I found it a refreshing change. Life is just like this but you rarely see it painted quite so eloquently. I especially liked the way the main characters have their own first person oriented chapters, putting you right there in their lives. You feel the pain of their struggling relationship as if it were happening to you.
When Elena finally learns Mitch’s secret, it is far worse than anything she could have imagined and it tears her fragile world apart. This story is raw, brutal and uncompromising, and the shocking surprise ending will take your breath away.
I loved the part where Elena tells her friend she might kill him, and the friend asks ‘which one?’
This book is for anyone who has ever been unfaithful, to feel the excruciating pain of betrayal. One of the saddest stories I have read in a while.
September 26, 2015
After having a great experience with "Unkept," I was eager to read "Dear Hearts." Ms. Clay did not disappoint!
I tried to read this book as a writer but was sucked in like an avid reader. My brain's attempts to be objective, pick it apart, and look for mistakes were immediately thwarted by effortless character depictions and the weave of the story.
In a style unique to Ericka, I could smell, see, and feel the settings. I appreciated the Point of View from Mitch and Elena. Just the right level of insight without looking too much like a literary gimmick.
Ms. Clay also managed to make the essence of this story relatable to the reader audience. My empathy trigger was pulled throughout the story, and I couldn't help but have a visceral reaction to their emotions and plight. Addiction, abuse, homophobia, and family discord are difficult subjects to tackle - the author handles them in a raw, real, yet readable way. Similar to when someone describes having poison ivy, the listener can't help but itch, too.
As a reader, the ending made me want to know more.
As a writer, I applaud the author's poetic license to leave the reader wanting more.
Disclosure: I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I tried to read this book as a writer but was sucked in like an avid reader. My brain's attempts to be objective, pick it apart, and look for mistakes were immediately thwarted by effortless character depictions and the weave of the story.
In a style unique to Ericka, I could smell, see, and feel the settings. I appreciated the Point of View from Mitch and Elena. Just the right level of insight without looking too much like a literary gimmick.
Ms. Clay also managed to make the essence of this story relatable to the reader audience. My empathy trigger was pulled throughout the story, and I couldn't help but have a visceral reaction to their emotions and plight. Addiction, abuse, homophobia, and family discord are difficult subjects to tackle - the author handles them in a raw, real, yet readable way. Similar to when someone describes having poison ivy, the listener can't help but itch, too.
As a reader, the ending made me want to know more.
As a writer, I applaud the author's poetic license to leave the reader wanting more.
Disclosure: I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
December 2, 2015
‘Emotionally gripping’ is the phrase I’d use to describe Dear Hearts. The author has a knack for dialogue and paints an accurate picture of a marriage on the rocks. I got really used to reading her witty, hilarious blog posts, so the depth of the book comes as a shock to me.
Dear Hearts is quietly powerful. It’s the sort of book that makes you wonder, “Good God, what did the author went through to write a story like this?” Because of its emotional intensity, it’s difficult to read.
It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Review seen on Priscilla and her Books
Dear Hearts is quietly powerful. It’s the sort of book that makes you wonder, “Good God, what did the author went through to write a story like this?” Because of its emotional intensity, it’s difficult to read.
It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Review seen on Priscilla and her Books
December 3, 2015
‘Emotionally gripping’ is the phrase I’d use to describe Dear Hearts. The author has a knack for dialogue and paints an accurate picture of a marriage on the rocks. I got really used to reading her witty, hilarious blog posts, so the depth of the book comes as a shock to me.
Dear Hearts is quietly powerful. It’s the sort of book that makes you wonder, “Good God, what did the author went through to write a story like this?”
It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Review on Priscilla and her Books
Dear Hearts is quietly powerful. It’s the sort of book that makes you wonder, “Good God, what did the author went through to write a story like this?”
It’s a roller-coaster ride.
Review on Priscilla and her Books
February 5, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"And honestly, it's not even love—not even love at all. It's more like a base condition that has no cure, and when I reach for my heart, it's not there. Instead, Sela is in its place. Elena, too."
###
Dear Hearts is a story about a couple who seem perfect on the outside but hide secrets of their own—even from each other. Mitch and Elena have been broken since childhood and are now navigating adulthood with unhealed wounds buried deep within that threaten to resurface and cause a rift in their relationship. For the sake of a daughter who barely keeps them together, Mitch and Elena decide to reconcile with each other despite the tension, their secrets, and their vices. But will they manage to do it, or will their past keep them from finding the peace and love they so desperately need? Through a series of relatable characters, this story explores the complexities of life and relationships—and the difficulty that comes from steering the wheel on your own.
Ericka Clay's "Dear Hearts" depicts what happens when life is unraveling at the seams and you try to mend it by yourself through means of momentary pleasure (such as Mitch's affair with Aaron and Elena's impulse to buy a TV she'll never use). Both of them have an empty pit they feel the need to fill (or escape from), and that has caused an ever-growing division between them. Reading each of Elena and Mitch's points of view brought the story to life—thanks to Clay's witty prose and gripping narrative (which I was absolutely in awe of at various stages of reading).
The story's dark undertones and themes are written with satirical and dry humor, which reminded me of two of my favorite novels: "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. Without revealing crucial bits, Clay handles these dark topics really well and portrays them realistically, so much so that readers will be encouraged to delve deeper into the story and understand what it means to go through what the characters are going through. With the raw emotions that come with Clay's prose, I was able to stand in Mitch and Elena's shoes and feel as though I was in the story and not merely a spectator.
Reading "Dear Hearts" has definitely widened my perspective on people who struggle and try and try again to fix their problems on their own. There is just so much weight to the book, and yet by the time I finished reading, all I felt was dumbfoundedness and an eye-opening revelation that, as a believer, you cannot manage your life on your own. Dear Hearts, in a way, felt like some odd personal letter to me. It brought me comfort and another kind of heaviness that stems from knowing how utterly fleeting life can be.
Dear Hearts is definitely a book I would recommend to absolutely anyone looking for a gut-wrenching, truth-spilling narrative that grips you by the heart and dares you to read its honesty without flinching.
I cannot wait to see what comes next from Ericka Clay—her writing is a force to be reckoned with.
"And honestly, it's not even love—not even love at all. It's more like a base condition that has no cure, and when I reach for my heart, it's not there. Instead, Sela is in its place. Elena, too."
###
Dear Hearts is a story about a couple who seem perfect on the outside but hide secrets of their own—even from each other. Mitch and Elena have been broken since childhood and are now navigating adulthood with unhealed wounds buried deep within that threaten to resurface and cause a rift in their relationship. For the sake of a daughter who barely keeps them together, Mitch and Elena decide to reconcile with each other despite the tension, their secrets, and their vices. But will they manage to do it, or will their past keep them from finding the peace and love they so desperately need? Through a series of relatable characters, this story explores the complexities of life and relationships—and the difficulty that comes from steering the wheel on your own.
Ericka Clay's "Dear Hearts" depicts what happens when life is unraveling at the seams and you try to mend it by yourself through means of momentary pleasure (such as Mitch's affair with Aaron and Elena's impulse to buy a TV she'll never use). Both of them have an empty pit they feel the need to fill (or escape from), and that has caused an ever-growing division between them. Reading each of Elena and Mitch's points of view brought the story to life—thanks to Clay's witty prose and gripping narrative (which I was absolutely in awe of at various stages of reading).
The story's dark undertones and themes are written with satirical and dry humor, which reminded me of two of my favorite novels: "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. Without revealing crucial bits, Clay handles these dark topics really well and portrays them realistically, so much so that readers will be encouraged to delve deeper into the story and understand what it means to go through what the characters are going through. With the raw emotions that come with Clay's prose, I was able to stand in Mitch and Elena's shoes and feel as though I was in the story and not merely a spectator.
Reading "Dear Hearts" has definitely widened my perspective on people who struggle and try and try again to fix their problems on their own. There is just so much weight to the book, and yet by the time I finished reading, all I felt was dumbfoundedness and an eye-opening revelation that, as a believer, you cannot manage your life on your own. Dear Hearts, in a way, felt like some odd personal letter to me. It brought me comfort and another kind of heaviness that stems from knowing how utterly fleeting life can be.
Dear Hearts is definitely a book I would recommend to absolutely anyone looking for a gut-wrenching, truth-spilling narrative that grips you by the heart and dares you to read its honesty without flinching.
I cannot wait to see what comes next from Ericka Clay—her writing is a force to be reckoned with.
December 16, 2022
They both have secrets that are eating away at their hearts. Will it ever be right again?
Ericka Clay has a way of dragging the shadows out into the sunlight and shaking them like dirty rugs to let us see what they've been holding. That's what she has done in Dead Hearts.
My first thought on finishing was "damn" and I am not a swearing woman. I couldn't find any other word that fits what I was feeling. This is a hard story, but a necessary one. As the ends pull together at the close, it's heartbreaking and beautiful and infuriating.
I was given a free ecopy of this boom. This is my honest and free review.
Ericka Clay has a way of dragging the shadows out into the sunlight and shaking them like dirty rugs to let us see what they've been holding. That's what she has done in Dead Hearts.
My first thought on finishing was "damn" and I am not a swearing woman. I couldn't find any other word that fits what I was feeling. This is a hard story, but a necessary one. As the ends pull together at the close, it's heartbreaking and beautiful and infuriating.
I was given a free ecopy of this boom. This is my honest and free review.
August 11, 2024
If you ask me what my favorite book that I've written is, I'd say Dear Hearts. The tension between Mitch and Elena and their deep love for each other was challenging and rewarding to write. This book also draws a lot from my childhood experiences in Arkansas–a lot of details from a 90's kid living outside of Little Rock.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews