Familiar Heat

by Mary Hood

Mary Hood's lyrical, humorous, and down-to-earth novel lays bare marriage with all its intangible dreams and mysteries and reveals the subtle web of personalities and events that characterize a small town. When a brutal accident leaves Faye Parry with permanent amnesia, her new husband, Vic Rios--a sea captain and reformed rake--reverts to his old ways, resulting in an estrangement that seems irreparable.

Genres: Fiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 1995

About the author

Mary Hood (born September 16, 1946 in Brunswick, Georgia) is an award-winning fiction writer of predominantly Southern literature, who has authored two short story collections - How Far She Went and And Venus is Blue - and a novel, Familiar Heat. She also regularly publishes essays and reviews in literary and popular magazines.

Reviews

[Jeanette]

No rating. DNF

Most everyone says her writing is genius. It is pithy. And it holds tremendous character study and there definitely is some humor. But I can't do it myself for this length and style.

It's me. Hood's writing style goes all around the mulberry bush and consistently jumps. Or leaves out any connecting words, or goes stream of consciousness "thought" of the narrator without having a physical placement. Or there is a void. For me it just isn't more than a task to read. I almost got to half and I'm done.

And right now I have other books, fiction and non-fiction both which embed me in great interest or intrigue or something. So I am going to those in the pile. It is the place (geographic) that this is set within too. And time period that flows extremely dated (no tech is one thing but this one seems in mores closer to 50 or 70 years ago). Regardless, hope others enjoy this marriage go round.

[Leigh R · Rating 3 out of 5]

2008 notes: seafaring story with intertwined lives. memorable.

now note: I remember nothing about this book.

[Melissa Delbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's such a phenomenal writer. I like her short stories more. Her work is so clear and simple on the surface, but has so many layers of meaning. She can tell me a hundred things about a character in one paragraph and has an uncanny ability to select the defining moment in a character's life.

[Allison Yarrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longer than the short stories. Lovely.

[Suzanne Litrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected surprise. Hood's brilliance sneaks up on you.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5