ADDENDUM TO Year in (Book) Review: The Kindness of Strangers

It took me a long time to read this book, because I knew I would have to write a review.

It's not that I shied away from the subject matter or that I'd heard anything less than praise for the novel. It's that I pinky-promised myself last January I would review every single book I read, even the embarrassing ones. No skipping, no matter what -- if it got read, it got reviewed. 

It just never crossed my mind that I would read a book by someone I know. In this case, it's not even just someone I know, but a former English teacher and current writing mentor. How the hell do you do a book review on your writing mentor? I can't even bring myself to call her anything other than Miss Kittle and she hasn't been my teacher since like 1991. We're practically the same age. And still, there is reverence given where there is reverence due.

That being said, I feel a need to reassure you that it's an honest review. She can't grade me anymore. If I hadn't liked the book, a lot or a little, I would have told you. It is an exceptionally well-crafted story.  Phew.