THE PIECES WE KEEP (KRISTINA MCMORRIS)

Kensington | November 26, 2013 | Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-7582-8116-6


In this richly emotional novel, Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother's bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo through generations...

Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes's grief over her husband's untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying - but it's just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him.

As Jack's fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack's dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound - and perhaps, at last, to heal.

Intricate and beautifully written, THE PIECES WE KEEP illuminates those moments when life asks us to reach beyond what we know and embrace what was once unthinkable. Deftly weaving together past and present, herein lies a story that is at once poignant and thought-provoking, and as unpredictable as the human heart.
My Review:
 THE PIECES WE KEEP was a beautifully written story about a young boy whose night terrors unearth a relationship between two people during World War II. How does Jack know the names of these people? Did he live in a past life or is there something more that we don't know?

I absolutely couldn't put this book down. The chapters are written alternately between present time with Jack and Audra and the story of Vivan and her beaus during World War II. A lot of the information contained in the story pertaining to World War II actually happened at noted by the author at the end of her book.

This is one story I'll be recommending to friends and family.