Play Book Tag discussion

This I Know – Eldonna Edwards
3***

Grace Carter is the middle daughter of five and she feels guilty that she survived her birth, while her twin brother, Isaac, did not. But Grace also has a special gift, which she calls the “Knowing.” The problem is that her father, a Christian preacher, does not believe this is a gift from God, but rather the Devil’s temptations. The novel follows Grace from age eleven to her early teens, as she tries to gain her father’s approval and love, while remaining true to herself.

I picked this up while trolling my public library’s shelves. I was a bit skeptical, but saw an author blurb from Lesley Kagen, whose books I enjoy, so though I give this a go. I’m glad I did.

I was quickly immersed in the story and eager to see how things would work out for Grace. The setting is a small town in Michigan in the late 1960s. Grace is a typical pre-teen in many respects; she wonders about boys and about getting her period; she fights with her sisters, and has dinner or sleepovers with her friend, Lola; she enjoys time spent with her family and at social activities sponsored by her father’s church. But there is that special gift that sets her apart and which she feels must keep secret from everyone. She just wants to fit in, but she can’t explain how she knows the things she knows, and she realizes that many people are leery of her because of it.

To add to her struggles growing up, Grace’s mother suffers from depression, particularly post-partum depression, so when her baby sister Marilyn is born just as Grace is entering her teens, things take a decided turn for the worse in Grace’s household.

Edwards includes a mystery regarding a pedophile in the area, and I thought this was unnecessary. That plot line comes and goes and is never really focused on, though it does give Grace an excuse to speak with the Sheriff and his wife. Also, some of the scenes got a bit mystical, especially when Grace is visiting patients at the hospital who are otherwise unresponsive.

All in all, though, it was a totally satisfying coming-of-age story.


LINK to my review