‘Some memories protect you. Others imprison you.‘
– One Beautiful Year of Normal
[ About One Beautiful Year of Normal ]
When August Caine receives a phone call from a Savannah attorney, she is blindsided by the news—her Aunt Helen has passed away. But how can that be, when August’s mother insisted Helen died in a car accident fifteen years ago? Determined to uncover the truth, August returns to the deep South, where the ghosts of her past—both real and imagined—await her.
Plagued by a memory splintered by her father’s unsolved murder when she was a child and further tangled by psychiatric treatments for the debilitating depression she struggles with, August realizes her survival depends on unraveling the mystery surrounding her father’s death. This means returning to the one safe place she remembers from the childhood she has mostly locked away inside her mind: Aunt Helen’s home, and the ghost tours they created together.
A chilling exploration of mental illness, mother-daughter bonds, and generational secrets, One Beautiful Year of Normal follows August as she pieces together the long-buried truths that shaped her family’s tragic past and confronts the question that has haunted her for years: Can the truth set her free, or will it unravel everything she thought she knew?
[ My Review ]
One Beautiful Year of Normal by Sandra K. Griffith publishes February 24th with She Writes Press and is described as ‘character suspense…a gripping psychological thriller about a woman’s dangerous decision to unearth her family’s darkest secrets.’
August Caine has chosen to live a life very much on her own terms. With a challenging history she has attempted to deal with her demons, which have, in the past, left her institutionalised. Now living in Paris, she has created some semblance of a normal life but it is completely upended the day she receives a call from an attorney in Savannah that will alter the course of her life.
August is estranged from her mother with minimal communication. For years she was lead to believe that her Aunt Helen was dead. But now, following this unexpected phone call, she is completely flummoxed. With no choice but to return to Savannah in search of the truth, August is terrified with what she might find.
August’s father, Helen’s brother, was murdered outside the family apartment in New York when August was young. Her mother spiralled and eventually Helen came to August’s rescue and took her to live with her in Savannah. August had been through some very difficult years having to grow up before her time. Left insular and quite the loner, August found Savannah extraordinary. Initially she was very reticent of this new life presented to her but in time she got used to her Aunt Helen and her quirky ways. For one beautiful year August lived with Helen until she no longer did.
Now back in the homestead, which was also the place where her father came from, August has to deal with a whole set of lies that she has been fed. In order to uncover the truth she must dig deep but in doing so she will have to face some very dark secrets. As August attempts to unravel the mystery of her harrowing past she is faced with some unbearable and soul destroying truths. Can August conquer her fears? Can she ever live the life she hope and dreams of?
I would be slow to describe this novel as a thriller as, for me, it was more of a dramatic family mystery. The area where the book is set is well known to Sandra K. Griffith and this sense of familiarity shines through in the descriptions, with the searing heat of a hot Savannah day. August Caine is an interesting character. She has been through so much in her life but her resilience is what keeps her going, one foot in front of the other. One Beautiful Year of Normal is an atmospheric tale with quite a complicated layer of lies and secrets. Overall it is a solid debut.
[Thank you to Sparkpoint Studio and She Writes Press for a copy of One Beautiful Year of Normal in return for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Sandra K. Griffith is a doctorate-level psychologist with extensive clinical and forensic experience, the owner of a behavioral health agency, and an adjunct instructor at Marshall University. Her expertise in mental health, trauma, and the complexities of memory informs her deeply psychological and atmospheric storytelling. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, antiquing, cooking and spending time with her family, friends, and too large collection of pets. She splits her time between Kenova, West Virginia and Tybee Island, Georgia, just outside of Savannah.
