Here & Now

by Gayle C. Edlin

Author Lila Dawkins has a she experiences other people’s powerful memories by touching objects that were important to them. But the stress of this special ability has a way of accumulating, and Lila makes increasingly frequent visits to her remote Wyoming cabin to mitigate the tension wrought by the constant chatter of people and their precious things. This time, when Lila arrives at her cabin to recoup, she finds her safe haven less than restorative. It’s not only the death of an old friend that disrupts Lila’s sanctuary or the surprising company of two new neighbors. Lila is also picking up signals from an unknown object somewhere in the vicinity, and the terrifying past events infused into the mysterious thing somehow connect them all ... Lila, her friend, and her neighbors. Carrying both her own burdens and those of others, is there any way Lila can let go of her past and future fears? Can she find a way to live—to thrive—Here & Now?

356 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2014

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I selected this book because I am acquainted with the author. I love to read works by Wisconsin authors, and I was very excited to read this book.

It took me a little to get warmed up only because I needed a dictionary for the first couple of chapters. :) Yes! I really used it, too, and I learned a few new words, which is always a bonus. The book provides the reader with a nice picture of Lila's life in the cabin in Wyoming. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, so I won't say much about the characters, other than the fact that they are interesting characters with some history that you may not expect. The writing is smooth and flows nicely. It is definitely a book that you won't want to put down.

I will warn you that there is a foul mouthed friend, but it isn't over-the-top or excessive. There's also some scenes where you know something adult is happening. For those reasons, the book definitely earns a PG-13 rating. There is nothing explicit for the high school aged readers.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Wisconsin writers, stories about Wyoming, cowboys, stories about broken people finding their healing, and friendships. It'a a really good read. And no, I did not feel any pressure to write a positive review because I am acquainted with the author. It really is a good, well-written book.

[Marnie Bebej · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story in this book. Little mystery little romance. Truthful I almost stopped reading this book and it had nothing to do with the story but the writing. The author had a habit of using a higher level vocabulary that, for me, would ruin the flow of the reading and pull me out of the story. Now I'm not saying don't use more complex words on occasion to jazz things up but simplicity and flow is key in a novel.