domestic fiction

The End of Her by Shari Lapena is a psychological, domestic suspense novel that is fast-paced and full of secrets, surprises, and twists. Patrick and Stephanie are a happily married, financially stable couple who are parents to 4-month-old colicky twin daughters. Both are sleep deprived when Erica comes into their lives. Erica is Patrick’s dead first wife’s best friend who comes to blackmail the couple by accusing Patrick of killing his first wife and threatening to go to the police to have the nine-year-old case re-opened and further investigated. Stephanie is shocked by the accusations Erica

The science fiction aspect to this book is both obvious and subtle. The major plot point of the book is pure science fiction - parallel universes. The main character, Patricia Cowen, experiences two separate lives, stemming from a decision she makes shortly after college.

Once we reach the divergent paths, the chapters alternate between the two realities. From there, the story is pretty straightforward domestic fiction – the daily trials, tribulations, and joys of the main character.

What I found fascinating was how world events differed between these two lifelines. It makes me wonder about

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon and Garden Spells, takes us this time to Walls of Water, North Carolina, which is famous for its waterfalls and the fog that they bring to the town.  Walls of Water is a small town that caters to the tourists that come to hike the trails and see the waterfalls.  Many of the families have lived in Walls for several generations.  Willa Jackson is a decendent of one of these families.  The Jackson family once the "leading" family of Walls met with financial ruin when the logging industry had dried up.  Willa and her

In this second book in The Father Tim series, Father Tim and Cynthia have traveled to a B & B in Ireland for some R & R and soon become involved with owner’s families and other guests. There is a bit of mystery with a break-in to Cynthia’s room and later a stolen painting. And there are various relationship issues going on. Another interesting element is the reading of a nineteenth century medical doctor’s journal, written by an ancestor of one of the B & B owners, which gives history of the place and intertwines with the present day story. I have read all of The Mitford series and Home to