for David C. Cook and "Talking to the Dead" by Bonnie Grove

In her first novel, author Bonnie Grove offers readers a tender, quirky story about grief—and second chances


"Kevin was dead and the people in my house wouldn’t go home. They mingled after the funeral, eating sandwiches, drinking tea, and speaking in muffled tones. I didn’t feel grateful for their presence. I felt exactly nothing,” writes Bonnie Grove in Talking to the Dead (David C Cook, June 2009). “Funerals exist so we can close doors we’d rather leave open. But where did we get the idea that the best approach to facing death is to eat Bundt cake?”




In her first novel, beloved author Bonnie Grove pens a poignantly realistic and uplifting story of hope, grace, and recovery from grief. Grove’s main character, twenty-something Kate Davis, can’t seem to get the grieving widow thing right. She’s supposed to put on a brave face and get on with her life, right? Instead, she’s camped out on her living room floor, unwashed, unkempt, and unable to sleep—because her husband Kevin keeps talking to her.

Is she losing her mind? Kate’s attempts to find the source of the voice she hears are both humorous and humiliating, as she turns first to an “eclectically spiritual” counselor, then a shrink with a bad toupee, an exorcist, and finally group therapy. There she meets Jack, the warmhearted, unconventional pastor of a ramshackle church, and at last the voice subsides. But when she stumbles upon a secret Kevin was keeping, Kate’s fragile hold on the present threatens to implode under the weight of the past…and Kevin begins to shout. Will the voice ever stop?

In this tender, quirky novel about embracing life, Grove patiently walks readers through the depths and mysteries of extreme sorrow after the death of a loved one. As she takes an unflinching look at the mental health industry, Grove’s training in counseling and psychology brings realism and empathy to grief and mental breakdown. While Kate must confront her own loss to find the grace to go on, readers will be led to the God who is always willing and able to comfort hearts in pain.

Author Bio

Bonnie Grove started writing when her parents bought a typewriter, and she hasn’t stopped since. Trained in Christian counseling (Emmanuel Bible College, Kitchener, ON) and secular psychology (University of Alberta), she developed and wrote social programs for families at risk while landing articles and stories in anthologies. She is the author of Working Your Best You: Discovering and Developing the Strengths God Gave You and Talking to the Dead, her first novel. Grove and her pastor husband, Steve, have two children; they live in Saskatchewan.



Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove
David C Cook
June 2009
ISBN: 978-1-434766-41-0
320 pages
softcover
$14.99

What can I say about this one other than Wow!!? This was a very interesting book which brought to mind the movie 'Ghost'. The two are very different (if memory serves - and well, sometimes it doesn't!) however, in their on-going story line. You'll be laughing, you'll be crying, you'll be saying, 'Hey, I would have done the same thing!', and you'll be shaking your head at some points thinking, 'I hope I have more faith'. Of course, the characters, while seemingly very realistic, are just that - characters - so the sufficient grace we receive is not at their disposal *smile*. There is only one part in the book where I wish the author would have had her character handle a situation differently - but she's getting paid to write - and well, it would take too many editors to turn my choppy sentences into something readable, so who am I to complain?? You'll really enjoy this one if you like a bit of suspense with laughter (lots of laughter) thrown in for good measure!