I had read about this book on several blogs so I was really happy that my library had it and I finished it early the other morning but didn’t write anything about it…and as is my problem, if I don’t do something right at the moment I forget about it.  Anyway, I was sorting out my library books and saw this in the pile to return and realized I hadn’t posted about it.  So here goes…

“I don’t much care where I go when I die, as long as it’s where the animals are.”   ~ Josh from Looking for Me  Beth Hoffman

This was a wonderful book, full of southern charm and characters.  Teddi Overman plays the strong survivor southern woman to a T.  All the characters are well drawn and Beth Hoffman manages to paint vivid pictures of characters through skillful use of dialogue and scenes.  The premise is a woman returning to her roots.  Her childhood had ended with the disappearance of her brother, who she believes never died and keeps hoping to find.  The disappearance of her brother fractured her family irreparably and she spends the book dealing with the fallout of this and acknowledging the impact this has had on her life.

This was a well crafted book with no cardboard cutout characters or tired plot lines.  The characters are multi-layered people and the author uses dialogue and the interactions between the characters to peel away the layers.  I really enjoyed this book and was sad when it ended and what an ending…. it was perfect in keeping with the book.  I won’t say more and spoil it for anyone.