January 2015, Koehler Books, 250 pages, Ebook, Review copy
Themes: family, helping others,
Content: a bit of violence, rape scene & aftermath, can't quite remember if there's any swearing, tissues needed
Summary from Kathryn's website
Kelly Malloy is a wife, a mother and a successful lawyer whose world is
shattered when she is brutally attacked while running along the banks of
the Brandywine River. Chad McCloskey, a lonely teenage boy from a
dysfunctional home, stumbles upon Kelly Malloy’s unconscious body
immediately after the assault, and he is falsely accused of the crime
after he tries to help her. Maria Hernandez, a young woman who emigrated
illegally from Mexico, is reluctantly thrust into the role of witness
to the crime, putting her in jeopardy of deportation only weeks before
she is to give birth to her child. Kelly, Chad and Maria all suffer
tremendous adversity in the wake of the crime, and they ultimately
discover that their lives and their fate are inextricably and
permanently connected
Nayu's thoughts
Kathryn writes about a topic which isn't pleasant but is one close to my heart. I feel strongly about women who are raped, because they are violated and are forever changed by their experience. It can happen from someone they know, it can be followed up with murder, or there are those like Kelly who close down before they open up to their loved ones.
There's no getting around this was a hard read because it's sadly something that happens a lot in real life. I wish all women and men (it's not just women who get raped) who get raped receive the help and compassion that Kelly does, that such kind people as the joggers found them. Being shown kindness right when you are at your most vulnerable when Kelly woke up after the incident must help a smidge to restore hope in humanity, that not everyone is as barbaric as the man who hurt her.
As awful as it was reading about Maria's reluctance to initially say anything, I understood it was her mother's instinct kicking in, she wanted to stay with her baby after it was born. I cheered when she disobeyed her husband - usually I'd agree doing what your husband says, but in this instance Maria did the right thing, even though the consequences were potentially life changing.
Like me you won't be disappointed by the end of the story which was journeyed to with a maelstrom of emotions, both positive and negative from all the characters. It's not a a comfort read, but it is one I'll reread in time just because it's so good, especially the part where the title comes from. I might skip over when Kelly is raped, it's not mega graphic but I have a tendency to think about real life instances which can get me down, so by skipping that part I'll remember what happened to Kelly but not have it so vivid in my mind.
Find out more on Kathryn's website.
Suggested read
For another tale involving rape try If I Forget You by Michelle Davidson Argylle (New Adult, 10E/10E)
Guest
Post by Kathryn Pincus, Author of Long Hill Home
Nayu here! In addition to such a brilliant read it is an honour to have Kathryn talk about writing Long Hill Home, how it came to be and what kind of research went into writing the book. Thank you Kathryn for stopping by on your tour!
How
My Ideas For the Plot Slowly Grew to Become Long Hill Home
Almost
every morning, as the sun is beginning its ascent into the sky, I
lace up my running shoes, stretch, and bound out the door. A feeling
of contentment sets in immediately—not the fabled “runner’s
high” or anything as dramatic as that—just a sense of calm and
happiness, a transcendence over my daily milieu. As I enter this
physical state, my mental state begins to wake up and roam freely.
The caffeine I consumed an hour earlier may be the catalyst, but the
real reason for my mind’s exploration is the fact that it is
blissfully unoccupied. There are no televisions blaring in my ears,
no social media pages flashing before my eyes, and no teenagers
asking me where their football jersey could be. My thoughts begin to
wander to varying and random subjects. Often they get stuck on a
particular subject and begin to analyze, dissect, and elaborate on
that subject, as if I were attempting to persuade some illusive
audience.
From 1991
through 2005 I was a full-time attorney practicing corporate,
commercial and employment law and litigation. A significant part of
my responsibilities in that role involved writing complex legal
documents such as briefs, position statements and other work product.
I loved that part of my job, i.e.,
compiling a factual record through discovery, researching the
relevant law, and weaving the factual record and the law together
into compelling arguments to persuade a judge or arbitrator to decide
the dispute in favor of my client. It is essentially the telling of a
story—but within the framework of certain facts and law.
In 2005, I
quit the practice of law to provide better care for a busy household
with two teenagers and two elementary school age children. While I do
not regret that decision for one moment, I did miss many aspects of
my profession, and most particularly, the process of writing. But I
still had my daily morning run—and during those runs my mind began
to weave a story……
I began
writing the manuscript that became my debut novel, Long
Hill Home,
over six years ago. At first the story evolved in my head as I went
for my daily morning run, past Breck’s Mill, over the mossy banks
of the Brandywine River and through the expansive lawn of Rockford
Park. At first the story evolved out of my own fears—a woman
running alone always has to worry about the “what if….”
After the
beginning of my story was set, and a woman running past Breck’s
Mill was abducted and assaulted, I started to think about the other
people involved. I created a scared young man who makes a poor
decision while he is trying to do the right thing, and as a result he
is falsely accused of the crime and imprisoned with dangerous felons.
I saw a young pregnant woman peeking out of a window above the crime
as it unfolds, horrified by what she is witnessing but terrified to
alert the authorities because she is in this country illegally. Every
day as I ran, the story unfolded and became more complex. Once the
roots and the trunk of my story took hold, they were fleshed out with
smaller branches and lush leaves. The main characters all had
background stories, they each had a path of adversity ahead (their
“long hill home’), and I had an obligation to see them through.
Over time I
found moments here and there after my morning run to sit down and
type my story at my computer. I did this in small pieces over years,
because I was extremely busy with family, household and numerous
volunteer positions. As my children got older and my duties and
distractions diminished significantly, I became more purposeful at
writing my story.
I
deliberately set my story and created its characters and events based
on my real life experience--places, people and a profession that I
was very familiar with. Long
Hill Home
is set in the neighborhood that I live in, the trails that I run on,
the city park that I frequent, the courthouse that I practiced law in
for many years and other buildings and places that I am personally
very familiar with. The characters in Long
Hill Home are
fictional, of course, but they are an amalgamation of physical and
behavioral traits of people I have known personally, or observed or
read about. Even my real life profession—the practice of
law—figures prominently in Long
Hill Home.
This familiarity and real life experience is essential for me to
write
vividly
and
convincingly.
I wanted my readers to be able to see the people and places of Long
Hill Home,
and feel as if they are in the book—a true vicarious experience. I
couldn’t do that without using my real life experience.
Finally,
once the kernel of the story that I developed during my morning runs
became a complex story, with characters, settings and events that I
was capable of vividly describing, I finally had to turn to outside
sources to learn about or verify a few pieces that were slightly
outside of my bailiwick. First, I ran a few questions regarding
Delaware criminal procedure by a friend who is an experienced
prosecutor with the Delaware Attorney General’s office. I had
practiced civil litigation, and I knew how to research the Delaware
Rules Of Criminal Procedure, but I wanted to know how the procedure
plays out in practice. Second, I asked someone at the Wilmington
Latin American Community Center about how they provide legal advice
to their clients, and she directed me to an attorney who answered all
of my questions. Finally, I did my own research: (1) on the law on
immigration; (2) DNA Testing; and (3) the science and procedure of
chemical capture—i.e.,
the use of anesthetic drugs to immobilize an animal to capture it.
