Rich with evocative detail and emotional nuance… A stunner
The evocative latest from Stone follows two dynamic characters, wrestling with the instabilities of love and life. It is 1965. Five-year-old April Toulane finds her life turn upside down after her mother marries a stranger after a short romance. Sweet and gentle April is no match for the wild, angry August Fairbanks, her five-year-old step brother, but their relationship gradually improves. A family tragedy sends the siblings into the Hollywood spotlight, and the pair finds themselves surrounded by people with ulterior motives. Determined to protect each other, the siblings form an unshakeable bond. But the long-buried secrets of the past come to surface, threatening their present. The push and pull between the vulnerable April and the extremely volatile August remains a constant undercurrent in the story. With seamless prose, Stone throws an intimate glimpse into the pair’s hearts and minds, adeptly evoking their chaotic existences in the face of their traumatic ordeals. Readers will root for April and August all the way to the shocking, poignant finale. The secondary characters are equally intriguing and convincing. Stone builds the tension by setting up a situation full of psychological drama and relentless twists, and keeps the reader guessing as to August’s motivations behind his volatile behavior. The story ends with a crushing curveball. Throughout, Stone gracefully weaves in themes of longing, love, trust, betrayal, trauma, and the human capacity for resilience in the face of heartbreaking circumstances. The result is memorable and moving. Readers looking for an emotional roller-coaster ride will be rewarded.
Tell Me You Love Me
By Kathleen Stone
Pub date December 29, 2020
ISBN 979-8575573753
Price $21.95 Paperback, $7.93 Kindle edition