Small Secrets

by Joan Jacobson

Life is not as orderly as it seems amidst the soybean fields of 1970s Minnesota. Farm girl Raki Pederson finds that out the hard way. Homeless, cast out by her family, carrying a baby and a heavy secret, she redeems her life through the kindness of strangers. There’s the hapless pastor, Sam, followed by a succession of women, each with her own dark secret: Margaret, guilt-ridden from her sister’s death; Carol, a feminist Robin Hood; and Mrs. Anderson, who did the ‘right thing’ only to regret it the rest of her life.
Now a successful middle-aged businesswoman, Raki returns to her hometown upon the death of her mentor, Dolores Richter. Concerned that Miss Richter hid the deepest secret of all, Raki seeks the truth and in so doing gains the courage to reveal her own.
Set in a time of social, sexual and political upheaval, Small Secrets is an age-old tale of shame and sacrifice, abandonment and rescue, betrayal and forgiveness.

“I loved this cast of believable, likable characters who populate a complex plot that slowly reveals the grace and beauty - as well as the restrictions and limitations - of small town life in decades not long past.  An ideal book group choice” 
Dona Chilcoat, M.A., Bookseller

“I picked it up one Sunday morning and finished by bedtime. The mystery of the secret, memories of the Sixties and Seventies, a fascinating cast of characters – how could I put it down?”
Betty Boyd, The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Colorado Chapter

Genres: Book Club, Historical Fiction

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2018

About the author

I started writing stories as a little girl, then turned my career to nonfiction (journalism and legal writing). I'm delighted to return to fiction, to the challenge of making "true" what is made up. My characters are people you'll enjoy getting to know, the plot growing out of their motivations and mistakes. Small Secrets is currently available on Amazon or at The BookBar in Denver. http://www.bookbardenver.com

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story isn’t fast paced and it doesn’t leave you with cliffhangers. The book starts with how it ends and telling you there are two big secrets to be revealed. But big secrets are really just lots of small secrets working together. This book is the weaving of that web in rural southern MN over the course of a half century.

Some might say the interconnectedness of the characters is unrealistic. I say that’s what made it even more realistic. Having grown up in a small rural MN town, I know as well as the author that the degrees of separation are small.

I spent the whole book looking for a villain only to realize there wasn’t one. Because secrets are really just coping mechanisms for the sides of us we are too afraid to share with the world.

[Michael Dapper · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was nothing small about the number of secrets kept among these people crossing paths in rural Minnesota. This is an impressive first novel for a talented writer who weaves characters' paths together in ways that at first aren't visible, then are revealed to have been discernible if you noted all the telling details. Very enjoyable, with romance, middle America nostalgia, a variety of interesting relationships and characters, and many, many secrets. Highly recommended.

[Diana Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should come with a warning not to start reading it in the late evening - because you'll be up reading most of the night. The story sucks you right in and doesn't let up until the last page. A delightful story that is true to the times it covers, well written and absorbing. Looking forward to more from this new Colorado author!

[Lisa Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It is true that once you start reading it, you cannot put it down. I am up late right now having just finished it but feeling compelled to review the book. The characters were well-written and even though we knew the book was about secrets, there were still some twists. The book captured the realities of unwed mothers who had to go to great lengths to hide their “sins”. It seemed that characters were not just introduced and forgotten, but were woven into story lines that crossed each other. I highly recommend the book.

[Linda Spyhalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful find at Good Reads in Austin, Minnesota! An honest and heartfelt book of living in a small Minnesota farm town during 1970s. A story of the good and bad and the secrets kept between families and friends. The characters come alive and if you are old enough you will harken back to stories told and not told as you grew up!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and interesting read. There were a lot of secrets to be found.